Rooted of St. Joseph County, Inc.
The safe house campaign
Announcements
ROOTED of St. Joseph County partnered with Fibre Converters in Constantine, Michigan. They generously offered a $100,000 matching grant for 90 days, which was needed to complete our remaining $200,000 needed for the Safe House building materials! We’re excited to share that the matching grant has reached its goal early with the help of community family and friends!
We are still collecting money for the endowment fund to sustain the longevity of the Safe House. Any donation from each supporter would make a tremendous difference in the lives of vulnerable children transitioning through foster care. Details on how to give are provided below.
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!
Our Safe House Capital Campaign has raised money to build a house in St. Joseph County. This house will serve as a transitional “safe house” for children as long-term placement is sought, or it will be a space where a child can get cleaned up and prepared for their long-term placement. With blueprints in hand, our plan is to break ground in the spring of 2025.
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?
🎉 We reached our goal! 🎉
We are so excited to announce that we met our $100,000 matching grant with Fibre Converters goal early! Thank you to everyone who contributed!
The job isn’t done yet. Now the real work begins as we move forward with the planning process while coordinating the efforts of the numerous vendors who have donated, in many cases, their time to make this safe house a reality.
While we build the house, you can still help us by contributing to the endowment 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.
Last updated 3/26/25
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 an Endowment 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 175 children in 2024. 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!
We got a $10,000 physical check from Sturgis Housing Commission! It will be the first installment of three to help build and sustain the Rooted Safe House. We are so thankful that we have the SHC in our corner!
Sturgis Bank and Trust has partnered with Rooted of St. Joseph County in the Fibre Converters $100,000 in 100 day matching grant. Their $1,000 donation will be doubled by Fibre Converters and go toward the Safe House building fund. Thank you, Sturgis Bank and Trust for joining the race toward the finish line!
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