A nonprofit that provides lodging for children undergoing cancer treatment added a new branch in Atlanta.
Boston, Mass.-based Christophers Haven said it's expanded to Atlanta — to the 131 Ponce Apartments, located on Ponce de Leon Avenue, near Midtown's nearly 1-year-old Emory Proton Therapy Center.
Founded in 2001, Christopher’s Haven operates a "supportive community consisting of fully-furnished temporary apartments and a community recreation area for families of children being treated for cancer at nearby hospitals," according to a news release.
Atlanta’s Proton Beam Center, which opened in December 2019, is among the most advanced and largest centers of its kind in the country. Proton beam radiation therapy is FDA-approved and used to treat adult and pediatric cancers, including those with tumors in the brain, eye, head and neck, lung, spine, breast or prostate. This technology uses protons to more precisely treat cancerous tumors than conventional forms of radiation therapy.
Since opening, more than 45% of pediatric cases have come to the center from outside the Greater Atlanta region and beyond.
“Atlanta has quickly become one of the fastest-growing cities with regard to pediatric medical treatment and technology, making the Gate City our first sought-after location for our expansion outside of Boston,” said Joyce Duvall, Christopher’s Haven executive director and a board member, who relocated from Boston to Atlanta. “CH makes a difference in the lives of pediatric cancer patients and their families by providing a home away from home during treatment by creating an affordable, safe and comfortable living situation so families can focus on their child’s treatment, recovery and mental well-being"
The nonprofit said it's currently in Phase II of development, having found a location for suitable housing and having created a local board of directors. Rodney Bullard, executive director of the Chick-Fil-A Foundation, is on the Christophers Haven advisory board.
Anticipated opening of the first three rooms of the CH Atlanta facility is the end of the first quarter in 2021, with full-capacity by late spring. Chick-fil-A is donating $25,000 and Rawson Haverty, senior VP of real estate and development for Haverty’s Furniture, is furnishing the first apartment, according to a Christopher's Haven spokesperson.
Christopher's Haven has nine temporary apartments and a community recreation area near Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.
