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Safe Haven Empowerment Center in Newport News receives federal support to expand youth programs and a new pool
Summary
Community leaders celebrated the Safe Haven Empowerment Center opening in Newport News and a lawmaker announced federal FY26 appropriations to support renovations, including a pool, and expanded programs serving about 52 children.
City Council Representative Marcellus Harris and community leaders gathered at the Safe Haven Empowerment Center in Newport News to celebrate the center’s role in youth services and to announce federal support for renovations and program expansion.
The event featured remarks from Antoine Bethea, founder of the Bethea Family Foundation; Mayor Phil Jones; and Latasha Chambers, the center’s senior program director. A speaker identified in the transcript only by role (a lawmaker) said funds from the fiscal year 26 federal appropriations process will support Safe Haven’s ongoing renovations.
"The pool that will be a tremendous impact on our babies, on our elders, learning how to swim, being able to work out," said Antoine Bethea, who described the center as a long-term "wrap-around" resource for children, parents and guardians. Bethea said the foundation intends the facility to provide both mental and physical supports and to be a sustained community asset in Newport News.
Mayor Phil Jones thanked community partners and federal supporters, saying the center is "the spot where you come in after you've had a very long day" to "rest, to refit, and to grow." Jones also expressed enthusiasm about bringing his son to use the new pool.
Latasha Chambers, the center’s senior program director, outlined current services and how the funding will be used. "We currently have a summer program ... We have 52 children here that we are servicing," Chambers said, and listed programming that includes a reading initiative, arts and crafts, culinary entrepreneurship experiences for older children, esports learning, and food distribution. Chambers said the ability to teach children to swim is a key life skill the center will expand with the renovation.
In remarks presenting the funding, the lawmaker thanked congressional colleagues and federal appropriations partners and said the federal FY26 appropriations process produced money to support the Safe Haven renovations and programs. The transcript does not specify the funding amount.
Event organizers also acknowledged local partners, including the Virginia Peninsula Food Bank and Thrive Peninsula, and thanked staff and volunteers who operate the center’s programs.
No formal votes or regulatory actions were recorded during the event. Attendees were invited to come forward to receive presentations and to tour the facility; next procedural steps or a timetable for renovations were not specified in the remarks.
