CapFund New Markets has closed and financed a $9 million allocation of federal New Markets Tax Credits to support an emergency shelter and counseling center for victims of domestic and sexual violence.
HAVEN, the development sponsor, has served the Pontiac community for nearly 40 years, working to eliminate domestic violence and sexual assault across Oakland County and surrounding communities. As the only comprehensive treatment and prevention center, HAVEN helps and educates more than 30,000 people each year.
HAVEN partnered with CapFund New Markets to help finance the $11.5 million development. Plans for the new domestic abuse shelter and counseling center include a 36,000 square-foot facility to serve Pontiac’s most vulnerable and highly distressed populations.
New Market Tax Credit dollars used to fund the development will support 50 construction jobs and two additional permanent jobs once the shelter opens, expected in November 2015.
The shelter will also as space to educate and prepare professionals and others on best practice interventions and prevention methods.
The new center will be based on the Family Justice Center, a model that was pioneered in San Diego in 2002 and provides a central location for the services victims need. The model has been adopted by communities in 33 states and 3 countries, and has proven to: reduce homicides, increase victim safety, autonomy, and empowerment, reduce fear and anxiety for victims and their children, and reduce recantation and minimization by victims.
CapFund New Markets investment will allow HAVEN to expand capacity to accommodate those in need. HAVEN’s current shelter, originally constructed as a 1920s convent, needs repairs and is costly to maintain and operate. In addition, a lack of space forced them to turn away people 810 times last year – 5% more than the previous year.
The new HAVEN center will help expand array of services to provide victims with the help they need. The process for victims seeking shelter, personal protection orders, copies of legal documents, and restraining orders can be demanding and degrading. By housing services under one roof, it is much easier and more comfortable for victims to get help; thereby, reducing their risk of becoming frustrated by the process and returning to their abusers.
The new, highly visible HAVEN shelter will bring greater awareness of sexual assault and domestic violence to the community. Because this anticipated facility will be more noticeable to the public (versus being in a secret location like HAVEN has traditionally been), it will not only make it easier for people to find help, it will also serve as a visible reminder of the pervasive problem of violence in the community.
About Cap Fund New Markets, LLC
Cap Fund New Markets, LLC is a Community Development Entity (CDE) and an affiliate of Cinnaire, a Community Development Finance Institution, as designated by the U.S. Treasury. CFNM deploys its New Markets Tax Credits (NMTC) allocations in the states of Michigan, Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin. It has received more than $100 million of NMTC allocation and manages another $200 million of NMTC in collaboration with other Michigan-based organizations. CFNM targets projects located in highly distressed census tracts and delivers projects that revitalize neighborhoods and are directly responsive to the needs of low-income communities in the Great Lakes region, including access to high-quality jobs, affordable childcare, education, healthcare and supportive services for families in crisis.
