According to the Department of Child Safety, there are more than 19,000 Arizona children in foster care, but there are only around 4,500 licensed foster families.

Every year, licensing agencies struggle to find suitable homes for the children and adults who have found their way to out-of-home care. 

Surprise resident Rebecca Nichols decided to do something about those numbers and in February 2019, the idea for Safe Haven Services, LLC was born.

Safe Haven Services licenses families for children and adults who have developmental disabilities.

“We are growing quickly and are in the process of licensing two more homes,” Ms. Nichols said.

The agency’s growth potential is staggering, considering the need for foster families in Maricopa County alone. 

“We want to provide support to those foster families who have opened their homes to adults and children within the system,” Ms. Nichols said. “So many foster families feel abandoned once they become licensed, and they either quit or choose not to renew. They deserve much better treatment.”   

“Our agency can license providers who live anywhere in the state of Arizona, but I have decided to focus on the West Valley.”

Having grown up in the area, she said she feels close ties with the community. Ms. Nichols graduated from Willow Canyon High School in 2009 and earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in sociology. She then earned a master’s in clinical mental health counseling after completing an internship with Psychological Counseling Services (PCS), an intensive outpatient counseling program located in Scottsdale. 

Although her business is newly opened, Ms. Nichols has over eight years’ experience with state agencies. She worked for one year with a group home and six years with a licensing agency located in Phoenix. For three of those years she served as one of the youngest directors in Arizona. 

In August, she gave her employer two weeks’ notice, and put her dream into motion.

“I want to focus on the relationship between the providers and the agency,” Ms. Nichols said. “There is a gap in the quality of care provided to the foster families. I believe that if the agency has a strong, supportive relationship with its providers, then the providers will be better equipped to care for adults and children in their homes.”  

“We are looking to license people, ideally, who have some experience with special needs, either with an employer or within their own family,” Ms. Nichols said. “The licensing process begins with an application and criminal background check. We have to protect our vulnerable population.” 

Once child development home (CDH) applicants have received their DPS Level 1 fingerprint clearance card, they can begin a 30-hour course called “Foster Parent College.” Adult developmental home (ADH) applicants need only to attend a three day pre-licensing training course, which includes positive behavior support, medication administration and incident reporting. 

Ms. Nichols wants to know the motivation behind someone’s desire to become a foster care provider. Are they looking for a career change, additional income, or to make a positive difference? Or maybe all of the above. Her own parents provided foster care for ten children from 2007 to 2017 and adopted two of those children. 

“Foster care can be the most rewarding opportunity for our providers,” Ms. Nichols said. “If challenges do come up, I want to be the calm inside the provider’s head that says you can get through this.” 

With maximum positive effort for the DDD community and being available 24/7 to assist and support providers and individuals within their care, Safe Haven Services, LLC, hopes to make a long-lasting difference in the community.

Nichol’s husband, Brandon, also graduated from Willow Canyon in 2009. He earned his master’s in educational leadership and is currently employed with the Glendale Unified School District. According to Ms. Nichols, he is supportive and helps her with many aspects of the business in addition to his fulltime job teaching. 

Visit the company website at safehavenservicesaz.com.