SAFE AVENUES

What SAFE AVENUES does

Safe Avenues is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Willmar, Minnesota, providing integrated services to victims of domestic and sexual violence across Southwestern Minnesota. The organization was founded in 1978 as Shelter House under Woodland Centers, incorporated independently in 1999, and rebranded to Safe Avenues in July 2010. It operates a 16-bed, 6-room emergency shelter in Willmar covering an 18-county region, supplemented by eight county outreach offices providing advocacy services across seven counties: Chippewa, Kandiyohi, Lac qui Parle, McLeod, Meeker, Renville, and Swift. A 24/7 crisis hotline (800-792-4210) serves as the primary access point, with overflow shelter placements coordinated through Minnesota's Day One network.

The service portfolio is structured around four programs: Domestic Violence Victim Advocacy, Sexual Violence Victim Advocacy, Criminal Justice Intervention, and the Harmony Visitation Center. Harmony Visitation Center provides supervised, semi-supervised, and exchange parenting time services and is the only such provider within a 50-mile radius of Kandiyohi County. Case management for the Visitation Center runs on the third-party SecureCases web platform, which offers separate participant and professional portals for scheduling, documentation, and case tracking. Community education, professional training, and the annual Hope for Tomorrow gala (running since March 2007) round out the program mix. The organization employs 11 staff and benefits from a volunteer base contributing more than 2,000 service hours annually.

Safe Avenues generates no client revenue; all victim services are provided free of charge. Approximately 66% of operating funding comes from state and federal grants supporting advocacy, shelter, and parenting time operations, with the remaining 34% sourced from individual donations, corporate contributions, faith communities, private foundations, planned giving, AmazonSmile rebates, and cell phone recycling. The organization is governed by a 13-member Board of Directors representing the primary counties served, with Jen Johnson serving as Executive Director. There are no parent entities, subsidiaries beyond Harmony Visitation Center, or publicly disclosed revenue figures.

Name

SAFE AVENUES

Legal name

Willmar Shelter

Website

https://willmarshelter.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Safe Avenues is a Willmar, Minnesota-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing emergency shelter, advocacy, and supervised parenting time services to victims of domestic and sexual violence across 7-18 counties in Southwestern Minnesota, funded primarily by government grants and community donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Services - Domestic and Sexual Violence Advocacy

NAICS

Temporary Shelters (624221), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Protection Services (GBV, Child Protection, Legal Aid) (BPADADAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Homelessness Prevention, Shelter & Supportive Housing Services (BPAIANAC)

Keywords

• Domestic violence advocacy
• Emergency shelter services
• Sexual assault support
• Supervised visitation
• Victim crisis intervention

Headquarters

HQ city

Willmar

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Grants: State and federal grants constitute 66% of annual funding. Grants support advocacy programs, shelter operations, and parenting time services.
2. Individual and Corporate Donations: Community donations from individuals, businesses, faith communities, and private foundations make up approximately 34% of funding to supplement grant revenue and sustain programs not fully covered by government funding.
3. Planned Giving: Legacy giving program allowing donors to include Safe Avenues in estate planning to support long-term sustainability.
4. Amazon Smile: Amazon donates 0.5% of eligible purchase prices when shoppers use smile.amazon.com and designate Safe Avenues as their charity.
5. Cell Phone Recycling Program: Donated cell phones are refurbished for survivor use in emergencies or recycled with proceeds supporting services.
6. Material Donations: Donated household items and furniture help establish survivors in new homes, with wish list items provided to families fleeing violence.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Safe Avenues (formerly Shelter House) is a nonprofit social services organization providing emergency shelter, victim advocacy, supervised parenting time services, and community education for individuals and families affected by domestic and sexual violence in Southwestern Minnesota. The organization operates a 16-bed emergency shelter, a 24/7 crisis hotline, county-based advocacy offices, and the Harmony Visitation Center for supervised parenting time.

Product overview

SAFE AVENUES operates as a nonprofit social services organization providing a coordinated suite of programs for domestic and sexual violence victims. The core offerings include Emergency Shelter (16-bed residential facility), Domestic Violence Victim Advocacy, Sexual Violence Victim Advocacy, and Criminal Justice Intervention services across seven counties in Southwestern Minnesota. The Harmony Visitation Center provides parenting time services including supervised visits, semi-supervised visits, and supervised exchanges. Community Education and Volunteer Programs support broader prevention and awareness efforts. The organization serves an 18-county area in the Southwestern corner of Minnesota with advocacy offices located in seven counties.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Harmony Visitation Center: Provides parenting time services including supervised visits, semi-supervised visits, and supervised exchanges for families dealing with separation and turmoil. The only agency providing parenting time services within a 50-mile radius of Kandiyohi County.

Products and services

• Emergency Shelter A 16-bed, 6-room emergency residential shelter in Willmar, Minnesota providing safe accommodation for individuals and families fleeing domestic or sexual violence. When at maximum capacity, the shelter coordinates with Minnesota's Day One network to place victims in alternative facilities statewide.
• Domestic Violence Victim Advocacy Program 24/7 crisis intervention program providing information, safety planning, protection order assistance, court advocacy, and support groups for domestic violence survivors across the seven-county service area.
• Sexual Violence Victim Advocacy Program 24/7 advocacy services for sexual assault survivors including crisis support, hospital emergency room accompaniment during evidence collection, medical support, safety planning, and support groups across Kandiyohi, Swift, Renville, and McLeod counties.
• Criminal Justice Intervention Program Program focused on increasing victim safety and offender accountability within the criminal justice system through advocacy, training, policy development, and monitoring of criminal justice responses to domestic assaults.
• Harmony Visitation Center Parenting time services program providing supervised visits, semi-supervised visits, and supervised exchanges for families during separation. Operates seven days a week, supported by the SecureCases web-based case management platform. The only parenting time service within a 50-mile radius of Kandiyohi County.
• Community Education & Professional Training Education programs and speaker presentations on domestic violence, sexual violence, healthy relationships, and available services for schools, faith communities, professionals, and the general public. Available Monday through Friday with topics including Domestic Violence 101, Sexual Violence 101, Healthy Relationships for Teens, Safe Dates, and Impact of Domestic Violence on the Workplace.
• Volunteer Program Volunteer opportunities including crisis line support, administrative assistance, transportation, furniture moving, handyman work, and special event help. Volunteers provide over 2,000 service hours annually to support shelter operations and programs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Serves 7-county area for advocacy services
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered historic, core and minor.

• Woodland CentershistoricStrategic or Co-development PartnerOriginally, Shelter House began in 1978 as a program of Woodland Centers, a non-profit mental health center serving West Central Minnesota. This historic relationship established the foundation for Safe Avenues' services.
• Day One Network (Minnesota)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStatewide network for shelter placement. When Safe Avenues operates at maximum occupancy, victims are assisted in locating available shelter facilities through Minnesota's Day One network.
• Minnesota Coalition for Battered WomenminorOthersSafe Avenues sources statistics from this statewide coalition. Serves as an industry association providing advocacy and statistics for member organizations.
• Amazon SmileminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAmazonSmile Foundation donates 0.5% of eligible purchase prices when shoppers use smile.amazon.com and designate Safe Avenues as their charity, providing ongoing passive donation revenue.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Cornerstone: Cornerstone is a Minnesota-based nonprofit providing emergency shelter, DV/SA advocacy, and support services across the Twin Cities metro. It is the closest direct functional peer — a regional DV/SA shelter network — though operating in a much larger urban geography than Safe Avenues.
• Domestic Abuse Project: Domestic Abuse Project provides DV intervention, advocacy, and therapy services in the Twin Cities. Directly comparable as a Minnesota-focused DV/SA service nonprofit with integrated intervention and survivor support programs.
• Alexandra House: Alexandra House operates an emergency shelter and advocacy programs for DV/SA victims in Blaine, Minnesota, serving northern Twin Cities suburbs. Comparable model combining shelter, advocacy, and community education under one nonprofit umbrella.
• Breaking Free: Breaking Free provides DV/SA advocacy, emergency housing, and youth programs in St. Paul. Comparable as a Minnesota regional DV/SA service provider with shelter, advocacy, and prevention education programs.
• Someplace Safe: Someplace Safe serves a multi-county rural region in west-central Minnesota (Fergus Falls area) with DV/SA advocacy and shelter services. Highly comparable rural Minnesota regional DV/SA provider operating across a similar geographic scale and service mix.
• Violence Intervention Project: Violence Intervention Project provides DV/SA advocacy and shelter services in northeastern Minnesota (Duluth area). Comparable regional DV/SA provider with shelter, advocacy, and criminal justice intervention programming.
• Haven House: Haven House is a DV/SA shelter and advocacy organization serving south-central Minnesota from Mankato. Comparable regional emergency shelter and advocacy nonprofit with similar mission and rural-mid-sized geographic footprint.
• YWCA Mankato: YWCA Mankato provides DV/SA services, sexual violence advocacy, and emergency shelter in south-central Minnesota. Comparable regional DV/SA service provider with shelter and advocacy programming operating in a similar rural-mid-sized geography.

Emerging players

• Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault (MNCASA): Statewide coalition providing training, advocacy, and resources for SA service providers in Minnesota. Comparable as a SA-services ecosystem player; overlaps on training and advocacy mission but operates as an umbrella/membership organization rather than direct service provider.

Broad incumbents

• National Domestic Violence Hotline: National 24/7 DV hotline providing crisis intervention and referrals across the U.S. Comparable on crisis hotline service and national DV referral network (Safe Avenues connects to Day One network, a state analog of this national model).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Safe-Avenues-Shelter-and-Programs-357733590939845

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SAFE AVENUES