By Melissa Alcantar | Crisis Response Coordinator
Hello again!
We made it to 2026. And if we’re being honest, that alone feels significant. For many of us, 2025 was a year that stretched us in ways we didn’t expect. It tested our patience, our resilience, our faith, and at times, our hope. But here we are. We are still standing, still serving, still believing in the work we’re called to do.
Each year at Fair Haven, we intentionally pause to choose a Word of the Year. It’s one of my favorite traditions. Every team member selects a word that reflects their personal journey. We take time to reflect on the year behind us and to consider what we want the new year to hold. Together, we also choose a word that represents our agency as a whole. And this year, we didn’t choose it lightly. We prayed over it. We sat with it. We asked for clarity and confirmation.
The word that kept rising to the surface was Fortitude.
Fortitude means staying steady and grounded when things are hard. It means finding strength of mind, body, and spirit when giving up would be easier. It’s quiet courage. It’s endurance. It’s choosing to keep going, not because it’s easy, but because it matters.
And the truth is, we see fortitude every single day.
Because of your continued support, 536 individuals were directly helped by our sexual assault and human trafficking services last year. Our advocates provided 5,352 advocacy services, including answering 447 crisis hotline calls and each one represented someone reaching out in a moment of fear, confusion, or anxiousness. Every call mattered and every person was met with compassion. Our crisis hotline runs 24/7 meaning holidays, weekends, middle-of-the-night calls; our advocates are ready and available.
And the need has not slowed down. In January alone, our advocates were dispatched 14 times to local hospitals to support survivors of sexual assault. Those late night and early morning calls are a powerful reminder of how essential it is to have trained, trauma-informed advocates ready to show up no matter the time. Alongside crisis response, we remained committed to prevention and education, empowering 34,160 students across 51 Northwest Indiana schools.
We also continued our community outreach efforts, reaching 2,657 people through training events. Our two annual fundraisers raised $80,000! This really does help ensure that all Fair Haven services remain free of charge for those who need them most. The need does not stop, and our survivors deserve all the help and resources we can pull together for them. Every dollar helps and donations made right here on GlobalGiving really make all the difference. You all help us fill gaps that we don’t even realize are there until we are in a crisis and need them at that exact moment.
None of this happens without you. Your generosity makes it possible for us to respond quickly, educate the community, and stand with survivors in their hardest moments. Thank you for believing in this work, for choosing advocacy, and for being part of a community built on strength, compassion, and FORTITUDE.
By Tamika Muhammad | Director of Transitional Housing
By Tamika Muhammad | Crisis Response Coordinator
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