Hope Haven lives true to its name

In Douglas County, where mental health resources have long been scarce, Hope Haven Peer Run Respite provides a lifeline for those in need.

Another initiative of “Reimagining Mental Health in Douglas County,” Hope Haven offers crisis call support and drop-in services seven days a week, and overnight stays on weekends — all areas of support for unhoused individuals, people with mental health and substance use challenges or those simply needing a safe space to reset.

The respite home’s peer-run model is a cornerstone of its success, said Chrissy Barnard, executive director of Hope Haven and the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Lake Superior South Shore, which operates the respite house. Staff members are certified peer support specialists, which means they bring lived experience with mental health or substance use.

“We use our own stories to give hope, not advice,” Barnard said.

Hope Haven opened its doors on July 1, after years of planning and collaboration. Since 2023, Essentia Health has donated $18,400 to the respite space. In its first four months, Hope Haven provided drop-in overnight care and warmline calls to more than 1,272 individuals from Douglas County, as well as Bayfield and Ashland counties.

“It’s filling a critical gap,” said Barnard. “We really believe that hope saves lives.”