Monique Mahabir, a fifth-year doctoral candidate in the University of Miami’s Community Well-Being PhD program, is channeling her academic training into a deeply personal mission. She is collaborating with a new initiative, the Safe Haven Collaborative, to build a support system for older adults and their caregivers in her ancestral home, Trinidad and Tobago.
The mission of Safe Haven strikes a personal chord for Mahabir, whose family hails from the islands. “Both sides of my family are from Trinidad and Tobago, and many of my relatives are part of the older population Safe Haven aims to serve,” Mahabir said. Her cousin, Dr. Ruth Porther, founded the organization. While Dr. Porther focuses on clinical care, she recognized the need for a strong research foundation to ensure services are truly effective. She invited Mahabir to fill that gap.
Mahabir is answering the call by applying the core principles of her PhD program. Her experience in program evaluation and participatory research, honed through work with the Engagement, Power, and Social Action research group and Collaborators Consulting Group, directly shapes her approach. For Mahabir, the people she aims to serve must drive the process.
“It is especially important to keep clients and caregivers at the center of the work,” she states. This means moving beyond traditional methods to find culturally resonant ways to gather feedback. Instead of formal focus groups, she envisions meeting people where they are, using relaxed settings like a "craft and chat" or "tea and chat" to encourage open dialogue.
Her ultimate goal for the collaboration is empowerment. Through this research, Mahabir wants to help older adults and caregivers strengthen their sense of community and feel more capable of navigating the challenges of aging. “The purpose of this data collection... is to ensure that Safe Haven’s services help clients and caregivers feel more empowered throughout the aging process,” Mahabir said.
For Mahabir, this work is about giving back to a country that is her "second home." By bridging community psychology research with international advocacy, she hopes to help build a much-needed ecosystem of support.
“My goal,” Mahabir said, “is for my involvement in Safe Haven to help increase the well-being and empowerment of the older adults and caregivers who participate in this initiative.”
