We are creating a living work of art – a space to heal, and to begin again.

The Heliotrope Foundation is collaborating with Za’Kiyah House to create The Sanctuary, a community center and transitional living space whose mission is to reduce drug addiction, recidivism and homelessness by meeting people in their most vulnerable states. 

We at Heliotrope know first hand that the creative process can bring people together in times of crisis and help us find a better way through problems which seem unsolvable. The U.S. is in the midst of a crisis caused by our lack of understanding of the way trauma impacts human lives. Traumatized people who act out unhealed destructive patterns may end up in the prison system, addicted to drugs, or homeless and living on the street. Traditional systems are designed to punish people who are acting out in pain, but this only perpetuates the problem, and indeed makes our communities less safe.

Ronna Davis Moore, founder of Za’Kiyah House believes that the capacity for healing is present inside each person, and that it is up to us to create the circumstances which will allow healing and transformation to happen.

To put that belief into action, she created Za’Kiyah House, a network of safe havens which provide temporary supportive sober living environments as well as counseling and other strengths-based services to support the lifestyle choices necessary to maintain permanent housing.

Heliotrope first collaborated with Za’Kiyah House in 2021 to support in the creation of Donnelle’s Safe Haven, a home for women returning from incarceration. The endeavor has been such a success that we have decided to keep it going by donating the former Braddock Tiles church to Za’Kiyah House, and helping them transform it into 

THE SANCTUARY.

The Sanctuary will become apartments, a social hall and a sanctuary space serving the community of North Braddock, PA. It will address the housing discrimination faced by people with criminal records and strengthen family bonds by providing apartments where families can stay together, rather than risk having children lost to the foster care system.

While this work is local to one place, with its trauma informed model and restorative-justice based philosophy, The Sanctuary is creating a beacon that many other communities can steer by as we ask ourselves how we reckon with our notions of justice, and how we will learn to heal the intergenerational cycles of trauma that so often lead to devastating outcomes such as homelessness and incarceration.

After successfully fundraising and constructing a new roof we are now raising funds to replace the windows. 

There are 38 custom windows that need replacing as well as a large stain-glass window designed by Swoon, and hand crafted by local artists who are also members of the Za’Kiyah House community.

This collaborative endeavor is the result of over a decade of community based arts and justice work. It is built on many many relationships and made possible by hundreds of people who have donated resources or lent a hand because they believe in Ronna’s vision, and want to support a new way forward. Please join us in this big barn raising for healing-justice and creativity.

ABOUT RONNA DAVIS MOORE

Ronna is a returning citizen whose desire is to reach back and pull others through the same tunnels that she has once traveled herself. With that dedication, Ronna has worked in the Social Service Field for over 16 years and has led the work of Za’kiyah House with a passion for change since its inception six years ago.

Ronna sees the problems faced by people in precarious situations and works continuously to bridge those gaps in our social support systems that allow people to fall through. Her work is compassion in action. Action being the key. 

After seeing what kind of support and power Ronna was able to harness in getting the new branch of Za’Kiyah House started, we realized that if anyone could take on the church it was these folks. Ronna’s motto is “Ask yourself if you could survive what another person has gone through, and then if the answer is no, ask yourself how you can help them.” The Sanctuary is going to be an answer to that question.

 A MESSAGE FROM HELIOTROPE”S FOUNDER CALEDONIA CURRY / SWOON 

The opportunity to contribute to this work means so much to me. Both of my parents went through incarceration and rehab as a result of drug addictions, and the presence of houses like this meant that they could come back into my life in much stronger ways.  I’ve seen what happens when someone has a chance to rebuild their life, and how their second chance impacts everyone around them. I see this work as a step toward healing the cycles of intergenerational trauma that fuel so many of our societal crises.

Also tremendously important is the chance to re-enfranchise the black community with land and property ownership. In 2020 I made the decision to donate a home that I owned to become Donnelle’s Safe Haven. There were many factors influencing this decision, and one of them was discovering the role that my own ancestors played in the enslavement of African people, and the recognition of the impacts that this history still has on the present day. As we work to address systemic racism in all of its manifestations, creating stability and empowerment through long term resources held within the black community is key. It’s my hope that some of the tens of millions of Americans with ancestors who benefited from our country’s brutal history will consider participating in projects like The Sanctuary as part of a larger movement toward reparations. 

 
OUR BUDGET & GOALS

Help us meet our initial goal of $50,000 and we’ll have the resources to restore the church windows across Jones Avenue and Hawkins corner.

Help us meet our stretch goal of $75,000 and we’ll be able to restore all the windows across Hawkins Avenue. 

And if we make our stretch stretch goal of $100,000 we will be able to complete all the windows of The Sanctuary!   

REWARDS
   Keep checking back for new rewards!  For a closer look and high-res photos, check our Instagram @TheHeliotropeFoundation.   

Thanks to our amazing video team, producer Fredric King and FountainHead