Shelter looks to raise money to expand, improve services

The Family Abuse Shelter of Miami County is ready for a new home after 40 years.

The independent nonprofit serving the county’s victims of domestic violence and the homeless has embarked on a community capital campaign.

The money will go toward a $2.3 million project to renovate an office building on Crescent Drive in Troy and build an adjacent 40-bed shelter for women and children.

The current shelter on Franklin Street in Troy houses 22 women and children.

The organization victims of domestic violence and homelessness with immediate access to shelter, case management, advocacy, counseling and referral services. It was established in 1979 by the late Barbel Adkins.

Her daughter, Barbara Holman, is the shelter’s current executive director.

The quiet part of the capital fundraising campaign began in 2018, with more than half of the money needed raised from foundations, corporations and private donors, said Ruth Jenkins of Troy, a long-time shelter board member. The general campaign starts this month.

“We are approaching the general public to give everyone the opportunity to support our campaign because we serve the whole county,” Jenkins said.

The women said the shelter is seeing a growing population with increasing needs.

“We are at the point where we think we really have to separate the two programs and to address the populations separately,” said Holman of domestic violence victims and homeless residents. “They have unique needs and move at different paces with different goals.”

Jenkins said the biggest needs are more space, the ability to separate the populations and handicapped accessibility.

The existing site on Franklin Street doesn’t have the space for adequate expansion and if growth continues, it is landlocked, Holman said. There’s also no space for children to play safely outside.

An early expansion plan included a shelter-owned 1830s church next door, the removal of which was opposed by a committee formed by historical organizations.

The new location is on two acres. The office building will include space for program advocates, service providers and a meeting room. The shelter will have 20 beds in a wing for the homeless and 20 beds in a wing for domestic violence victims. It will allow for more privacy and more facilities overall than the current dorm set up at the existing shelter.

“There are so many improvements that are going to come out of this program. It is going to be better all-around for our programs and definitely for our residents,” Holman said.

For more information on the Family Abuse Shelter and its programs, visit familyabuseshelterofmiamicounty.org or call 937-339-6761.

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