Why I Created A Haven for Us

I created A Haven for Us because I saw the gap, and I couldn’t unsee it.

My partner and I have spent years navigating systems that weren’t built for us. I’ve witnessed how hard it can be to access affirming care, and how often LGBTQIA+ people — especially trans folks — are left to survive with little more than each other. But I’ve also seen the power of community care: the kind that isn’t clinical or conditional, but supportive, soft, and steady.

Over the past several years, I’ve built a career rooted in compassion, working across healthcare, higher education, and crisis response. My academic and professional background has shaped the way I think about this work: grounded in research, community-informed, and deeply person-centered. I’m also continuing my education in nonprofit leadership and public policy, because I believe growth is ongoing and I want to be as equipped as possible to lead something this meaningful.

A Haven for Us was built with our values at the center.

We believe in peer support. We believe in community care. And we believe that support should be easy to access, rooted in trust, and shaped by the people it’s meant to serve.

This organization exists because I needed something like it once, and sometimes I still do — and that's okay.

Along the way, I’ve had the support of my husband, Beck, who has helped carry this vision forward with care, clarity, and deep belief in the work. We were married in 2022, surrounded by chosen family and the kind of joy we hope this organization helps others find — unfiltered, unapologetic, queer joy. That day reminded me what it means to feel safe, seen, and celebrated — and it’s that same feeling we hope to create here, every single day.

What we’re building is just getting started, but it’s already rooted in something real: love, trust, and a refusal to accept that our communities should settle for less.

Thank you for showing up. This haven is for all of us.

All my best,

Joey

Founder, A Haven for Us