Founded by Shantel Dixon, LMSW, Anthony’s Safe Haven was born from personal loss, generational trauma, and the lived reality of what happens when people, especially youth and families, don’t get the support they need to survive and heal.

This organization is named in memory of a 17-year-old boy who didn’t receive the help he needed in time. It also reflects the journey of a little girl who grew up without safety, stability, or protection—and decided to create what she didn’t have.

But Anthony’s Safe Haven is more than a safe place for children.
It’s a trauma-informed movement focused on restoring families, rebuilding trust, and reconnecting people to the version of themselves that trauma tried to bury.

We are developing programs that not only protect children with complex trauma but also walk alongside caregivers, parents, and entire support systems, especially those working to reunify with their children after hardship.

Our mission is rooted in the belief that healing is not linear, and it doesn’t belong to one group. Healing is for every child, every parent, every person who’s ever been labeled too difficult, too broken, or too far gone.

At Anthony’s Safe Haven, we believe in second chances. In nurturing safe relationships. In supporting system-involved families without shame.
Because healing doesn’t happen in isolation—it happens in community.