Creating safety and stability for vulnerable people and building community are the heart and soul of AHA's mission. We greet people who come to our programs by name, welcoming them and referring to them as residents or guests. We want them to know that we will listen to them and we are willing to share their story. Taking the time to listen to the struggles of their lives is a crucial part of our ministry, and is the basis for this "ministry of presence" we share with the people we serve. It is the depth of the relationships we have with our residents that enables community to happen in our programs; we believe with thomas merton that "in the END, it is the reality of personal relationships that saves everything."