The city of Benton Harbor, ranked one of the most dangerous places to live in Michigan, enjoyed a more positive and peaceful summer in 2021 because of the Versacare grant we received at Harbor of Hope. Summer 2020 our community experienced a rise in community disturbance and gun violence. We launched an 8-week youth development program that impacted more than 1,500 youth and their households and we continued it beyond the summer. We believe this program helped set the tone for a more violence-free summer in our city because we had less gun violence than summer 2020. The RISE UP Court is a safe community gathering space. We envision thousands of youth and young adults being attracted and impacted through sports and community events. They will be given growth opportunities to learn life skills that will prepare them to thrive physically, mentally, socially, financially, and spiritually.

For more information: Harbor of Hope