Our Story

The idea for a shelter started when multiple individuals came to the Akeley Regional Community Center (ARCC) Thrift Store looking for a safe place to stay. Two were women that were living in their cars. The chairperson of the ARCC Board began the process of researching what it would take to open a shelter to provide safety for those experiencing domestic violence. After determining the first steps, in 2017 renovations began by first adding an elevator. The next stage was the demolition process, which lasted for more than a year. We were very fortunate to have the help of many generous and dedicated volunteers helping with the demolition process. In the spring of 2020, the ARCC Board of Directors assembled a committee to continue the forward momentum of the shelter project and they committee hit the ground running. The committee began soliciting donations, planning fundraisers, and renovating the soon to be ARCC Emergency Shelter. They also gathered furnishings, shelter supplies, and building materials. Once the word got out, soon more community members volunteered to complete renovations and the shelter began taking shape.

August 2021 we had progressed to the point that we were ready to move to the next phase and on-boarded an Executive Director who began building the shelter program. November 2021 we began providing safe shelter in a limited capacity while finishing the final renovations. June 2022 the shelter opened it’s doors!

As of November 2023, we have provided over 4,000 nights of safe shelter to adults, children, and their companion animals. Advocates have provided over 15,000 individual services including housing support and location, court accompaniment, criminal justice support, food support, meals, crisis counseling, support groups, and referrals to other support agencies including housing assistance and mental health support.

The Need

According to an article in the Park Rapids Enterprise, the need for an emergency shelter in the Akeley area is urgent:

“There is a tremendous need for a shelter in this area,” said Annette White, director of the Family Safety Network that serves victims of domestic violence in Hubbard, Cass and Clearwater counties. The closest shelter is over 45 minutes away “but those almost never have vacancies. You can’t go on a waiting list. You call and they either have an opening or they don’t. People who don’t have anywhere else to go keep calling. During our last report we had 24 people we had to count as homeless because we had nowhere to put them. For us to have another resource in this area for people who are trying to get out of a very dangerous situation is really important.”

White said many people leave a domestic violence incident with nothing except the clothes on their back. “We have to get them somewhere, so when there’s a crisis in the middle of the night, having someplace close by is really a benefit,” she said.

In the News