TIFTON, Ga. — A plan to build a new, safer facility for Ruth’s Cottage is being realized, thanks to a Community Development Block Grant.

The $750,000 CDBG will be used to construct an 11,200 square-foot building that would increase bed capacity and bring all of its various operations under one roof.

The total cost of the project has been estimated at $1.6 million.

Ruth’s Cottage and The Patticake House (RCPCH) Executive Director Nancy Bryan said that the grant only goes out to city and county governments and Tift County agreed to apply for the grant on behalf of RCPCH.

“Now our next step is to meet with our folks and county folks for us to figure out where we go from here,” she said. Once they figure out the logistics, the project will roll ahead.

The capital campaign is still moving forward, according to Bryan, and there is a “Pave the Way for Victims” brick buying campaign as well.

The brick pathway that will lead from the parking lot to the new entrance will be paved with bricks that can be dedicated to or by individuals or clubs and organizations.

“While we have enough sources for the big things, and those are great and very much needed, that doesn’t mean we need to stop getting those other donations” Bryan said. “While our proposed budget is $1.6 million, we know in reality by the time we build this building that is going to change.”

They are looking for financial donations as well as partnerships for in-kind donations.

“The $750,000 grant was key to us being able to get this done in a timely manner,” she said. “It’s us raising the balance from $1.6 million versus the whole $1.6 million. So now we’re rolling. It’s an exciting time.”

The new facility will solve several big problems, according to Bryan.

“Currently our shelter is 12 beds,” she said. “We are turning away people who ask us for shelter. In this calendar year-to-date we’ve turned away over 500 people who have called us seeking shelter.”

Advocates can try to find space in other shelters, but Bryan said that other shelters are not local and people are remaining in abusive situations because there is nowhere for them to go that will allow them both safety and the ability to keep their job and keep their children in their school.

The space limits also affect families with larger family sizes, since shelters are not allowed to separate families, according to Bryan.

“There are a lot of those families out there,” she said. “We can’t serve them and they have to go to another  shelter, which again may not be where they work and live. The Thomasville shelter can take big families so we’ve had to send families there.”

Bryan added that because of the small space and the lack of separation of the rooms in the current shelter, men who call needing somewhere for them and their children to go have to be put in a hotel, since men and women can’t be housed together.

The shelter will be able to accommodate large families, men, emotional support animals and individuals with disabilities.

“Those are huge needs met by the building,” Bryan said.

Bryan said that another need that the new facility will meet is heightened safety and security for both clients and employees.

“This new facility will have the best security you can have,” she said. “We will have bulletproof windows. We will have portions of the building that are not visible from the outside. The staff will be able to be more safe. People get angry at us, and we’re very open here. For staff and for residents, this new building will better accommodate us for safety and from a space perspective.”

One of the other highlights of the new facility will be areas for children to play.

“Right now we have a corner of a room for children,” she said. “In this facility the children will have their own room. There will be windows and a camera so they can be monitored.”

The building is designed to have better visibility, better physical safety and better safety from abusers or shooters.

“It’s just a huge gift all the way around,” she said.

Those interested in donating can contact RCPCH at (229) 387-9663 or donate online at www.gofundme.com/pavethewayforvictims.