Rooted of St. Joseph County, Inc.

The safe house campaign

Announcements

We are so excited to announce that the Rooted Safe House is now under construction! After several challenges and unforeseen circumstances with this project throughout this past year, we are so grateful to be taking this next step. This community has stood beside us, and we could not do this work without you. Your encouragement, generosity, and belief in our mission have carried us forward in ways we can’t fully express.
 
Soon, this home will provide a safe and supportive environment for children waiting for foster care placement. A home full of clean clothes, comfy beds, and loving volunteers ready to show up for these kids. This is our great next step in meeting the most basic needs during the most vulnerable situations. To our donors, contractors, and community, we sincerely thank you all for your unwavering support, and we can’t wait to keep moving forward together.

What is the Safe House?

Having worked to provide children with basic necessities in the midst of their transition from an unsafe home to a long-term placement, Rooted has now set its vision on another transitionary need.

When children are removed from an unsafe situation, most often a long-term placement is not immediately available. It could be hours or even days before a placement can be matched to a child. Where does a child go when a placement cannot be found right away? Or, where does a child regroup before transitioning to their long-term placement? We now have an answer!

The Safe House will provide a place for children to receive basic daily needs such as toiletries, clothing, and shoes. Children will have a space to play, to be fed, and even to sleep during their time of transition. The Safe House will be a place of peace and comfort during a very difficult time. Agency workers will be provided an on-site workspace and Rooted will provide volunteers to help care for the children and ease this time of transition.  

How can I contribute?

While we prepare the house for use, you can help us by contributing to the Safe House fund, which will help us pay for the ongoing costs of the Safe House. Once the house is up and running, we will need to pay for things like staffing, maintenance, and utilities.

Click here to donate to the Rooted Safe House, or mail a check to the Sturgis Area Community Foundation at 214 W. Chicago Road, Sturgis, MI 49091. You can write “Rooted Safe House Financial Campaign” in the memo. Our preference is that donations above $1000 are sent as checks to avoid online processing fees, but you can use whichever method you are most comfortable with.

Rooted is a 501(c)(3) organization, so your donation is tax deductible. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

Frequently Asked Questions

The future estimated operating cost includes staffing, maintenance, utilities, and ongoing funding sources. The Safe House will be run by volunteers (who are already established) and will work alongside case workers. While the house is being built, we plan to continue bringing awareness to the community, applying for grants, and establishing a Safe House Fund through the Sturgis Area Community Foundation to cover ongoing cost of the house. We are also privy to several grants once the house is built.

The typical length of stay varies, but they can stay 30 days at most. This will ensure the case worker has been given ample time to find a stable and suitable placement for the child and lessen the moves they endure (house hopping). A case worker will be required to stay with the child for the duration of their stay, and one of our volunteers will work alongside the case worker.

We’ve supported 216 children in 2025. All of those children would have been able to use the Safe House to regroup, clean up, get fed, and get their basic needs met from our storage warehouse. We believe that many of these children would have stayed the night because of a lack of long-term placements.

Thank you to our generous donors!

 Patrons ($50,000 or More)

Fibre Converters Foundation
Three Rivers Area Community Foundation

Visionaries ($20,000 – $49,999)

Sturgis Area Community Foundation
Sturgis Housing Commission

Advocates ($5,000 – $19,999)

Bowersox Flooring
One Way Plumbing
Stauffer Heating & Cooling
Leon Shetler
Richard M. Hostetler
Buist Electric
Harker Excavating
Constantine Area Community Foundation
White Pigeon Area Community Foundation
Integrity Roofing
JS Design Group, LLC
Hagen Cement Products Inc.
Eugene and Bobette Melchi
Restoration Church

Believers ($1,000 – $4,999)

Mid-City Supply Co. Inc.
Great Lakes Superior Walls
St. Joseph County United Way
Mostrom & Associates
Bullseye Marketplace TR LLC
Burr Oak Tool Inc.
Jergens Piping Corporation
Reed and Associates
Re/max Elite Group
Sturgis Bank and Trust
Centreville Baptist Church
Randy and Jaime Bongard

Friends ($500 – $999)

Affinity Custom Molding Inc.
Country Vinyl Windows & Doors
Riverland Poultry LLC