HomeAid Sacramento Celebrates Dedication of Peace for Families Project

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

(SACRAMENTO, CA) – HomeAid, the philanthropic arm of the North State Building Industry Association (NSBIA), celebrated one of its biggest successes in recent memory with the dedication of a new office and 39-bed domestic shelter for Placer County’s Peace for Families. The emergency shelter will house women and children in Placer County that have been victims of domestic violence and other forms of abuse. The facility will likely serve more than 3,000 adults and children this year thanks to HomeAid and its generous builder captains on this project, John Laing Homes, Pulte Homes and McCarthy Building Companies. These three companies donated 100% of their services with the help of local trade partners.

“This was truly a group effort,” said Kevin Carson, division president of John Laing Homes. “This wonderful facility is a true testament to hard work and what this industry is capable of.”

This completed project comes at a time when many builders are struggling to keep the lights on, let alone consider giving important manpower and other in-kind services to non-profit causes. The fact that these builders and trade partners honored their commitments is very impressive in this market.

“It’s not just about giving when you can,” expressed Chris Cady, division president of Pulte Homes. “It is about giving when it hurts.”

In its 18th completed shelter since it’s founding, HomeAid gathered the generous support of industry leaders and trade partners to raise more than $2 million in donations toward the completion and furnishing of the office and 39-bed protected facility. The project is beautiful, very homelike and warm. PEACE had a wonderful donation of furniture from Lazyboy to add to the ambience. Not only were 14 beds for domestic violence added in Placer County, but just as important the project replaced 25 beds in deplorable, depressing condition.


“PEACE for families opened our new safe house in October, doubling the number of women and children that can be served. As the Executive Director of the only safe house in Placer County it has been humbling to see the outpouring of community support. From individual donors, to corporations to tradespeople the shelter opened because of community support. Literally hundreds of people came together to build this new safe haven for women and children, victims of domestic violence and/or sexual abuse. We are grateful for the support and are energized to continue working on behalf of those we serve,” said Teri Munger, executive director of Peace for Families.

“Everyone involved in this project is a true hero,” said Greg Grant, the current chair of HomeAid Sacramento. “.”

About HomeAid
HomeAid Sacramento, the philanthropic arm of the North State Building Industry Association, seeks to build dignified housing where homeless families and individuals can rebuild their lives. This charity has successfully matched local service providers in need of refurbishing, expanding or building new shelters with homebuilders able to fill that need since 1996. It’s builders doing what they do best, building.

Major contributors to HomeAid include Dennis Calmes and Jeani Buckmaster, Lennar Charitable Housing Foundation, Ceramic Tile & Stone Institute, Elliott Family Foundation, Republic Electric West, Home Depot, Pardee Homes, Thomas P. Winn Foundation, Tim Lewis Communities, William & Beth Niemi, BSB Design, Creative Design Group, Homes by Towne and Umpqua Bank. For more information about HomeAid Sacramento email or call (916) 677-5717. Visit http://www.northstatebia.org./homeaid.html to learn more about current projects.


About Peace for Families
PEACE for Families began modestly in 1974 as a rape crisis hot line—a project of the Placer Awareness House, which provided substance abuse recovery services. While the hot line originated as the premise for a college term paper about the lack of services and support for rape victims, it quickly became a critical link for battered women in Placer County. For battered women, who had nowhere else to turn in the county, the hot line became a lifeline to safety.

When project funding ended in 1977, a group of Auburn professional women decided the service was an important community resource that should be continued. Opening in old town Auburn as an all-volunteer agency in 1978, the Auburn Women’s Center was granted nonprofit status in 1982. The following year the organization changed its name to Placer Women’s Center to reflect its commitment to serve the entire county. Through the dedication of local women’s groups, churches and brave individuals, battered women found refuge in private homes that served as safe houses until the shelter opened in 1985.

In 1994 a new group, PEACE for Families, was established in Roseville to serve South Placer residents. Three years later the Roseville and Auburn groups merged to form a stronger entity to serve all of Placer County. In January 2001, the Board of Directors adopted the name PEACE for Families—Placer Extends A Caring Environment for Families—as a clear statement of the organization’s mission and goals. Over the years the organization’s services have expanded to meet ever-increasing needs. Today, PEACE for Families provides comprehensive services for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault throughout Placer County. The organization offers a full range of intervention services such as a 24-hour crisis line, sexual assault/domestic violence emergency response, counseling, emergency shelter for battered women and their children, and transitional housing. Education activities include community presentations and workshops on issues and prevention of domestic violence and sexual assault.

Thanks to PEACE for Families, victims of domestic violence in Placer County have a safe place to go.