by Krystal Moralee

A $160,000 grant from several donor advised fund holders at the Community Foundation of St. Clair County is helping Blue Water Safe Horizons renovate key areas of the domestic violence and sexual abuse shelter to bring survivors into a safer, more welcoming, comfortable, and healing environment.

The renovation project will transform key spaces within the shelter to better support women and their children as they begin rebuilding their lives.

“I turned over every rock I possibly could, and thank God for the Community Foundation,” said Melissa Jacobs, executive director of Blue Water Safe Horizons.

Jacobs, who became executive director a year ago, quickly recognized that one of the shelter’s greatest challenges was its physical space. In previous years, many survivors had to be housed off-site because the shelter lacked adequate facilities. With only two showers available, it wasn’t practical to accommodate everyone within the building.

“When people are housed away from the facility, it’s difficult to empower them,” Jacobs explained. “The advocates are able to work with them every day when they’re here. When people are away and relying on bus transportation, it’s harder to connect them with resources, and it just doesn’t lead to as good of outcomes.”

This grant will help ensure survivors have not only a safe place to stay, but an environment that fosters hope, healing, and a fresh start.

Plans include a new bathroom addition with four showers and a bathtub. Two of the showers will also be ADA compliant, helping the shelter better serve all clients.

The existing shower area will then be converted into a small living room, creating another area where residents can rest, connect, and begin to heal.

While state and federal funding exists to help survivors directly, there are far fewer opportunities to fund improvements to the shelter itself. That is where the Community Foundation donors stepped in.

“Our donors toured the shelter, heard directly about the needs, and witnessed the life changing work happening through Blue Water Safe Horizons. They wanted to make significant gifts that they knew would make a meaningful difference,” said Vice President Jackie Hanton.

For Jacobs, watching that connection happen was moving, and the impact ripples beyond the walls of the shelter itself.

While the shelter serves under 100 people annually, Jacobs said the organization has intentionally shifted away from short-term housing models. In the past, stays were capped at 30 days. Today, the average stay is closer to six months.

“Thirty days often wasn’t enough time for people to put the things into place that they needed so they could stay on their own,” Jacobs said. “They would end up going back to the bad situation.”

Now, with more time, more support, and improved facilities, the organization hopes survivors will have a stronger foundation for lasting independence.

Blue Water Safe Horizons also operates a 24/7 hotline that receives between 600 and 700 calls each year, offering support even for people who are not yet ready or able to leave abusive situations. The organization also provides outreach services and trauma-informed education through specialists who help survivors process what they have experienced and begin planning for safer futures.

Jacobs said none of this would be possible without the support of donors and the Community Foundation’s ability to bring people together around shared compassion for their neighbors.

“We’re so grateful for the Community Foundation,” she said.

For those currently experiencing domestic violence, sexual abuse, or elder abuse – even if they are not yet ready to leave – Blue Water Safe Horizons encourages them to reach out for help. The organization’s 24/7 hotline can be reached at 810-824-7948.

To learn more about how charitable giving through the Community Foundation of St. Clair County can support organizations making a lasting difference throughout the region, contact Jackie Hanton at the Community Foundation at 810-984-4761 or jackie@stclairfoundation.org.