Domestic Violence Project Inc.

Domestic Violence Project Inc., doing business as Safehouse Center, is a nonprofit, woman-owned tax-exempt corporation based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, that delivers victim services, emergency shelter, transitional housing, and crisis response to survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and related crimes as a federal grant recipient. The organization operates primarily as a sub-recipient (93% of awards) under state pass-through grants administered by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, with a smaller footprint as a direct prime grant recipient from the U.S. Department of Justice.

Safehouse Center's capability portfolio centers on comprehensive victim-centered crisis response and housing-support services. As a prime grant recipient, the organization received a $500,000 Project Grant from the Department of Justice Office for Victims of Crime (CFDA 16.582) effective October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2028, for the "Enhancing Comprehensive Crisis Response and Case Management for Victims of Sexual Assault and Other Crimes" project. The award funds a 24-hour helpline, hospital and law enforcement-based crisis response, secure emergency shelter, legal advocacy, individualized case management and safety planning, housing navigation, and financial assistance to remove barriers to safety and stability. Additionally, Safehouse Center received a $400,000 three-year continuation Project Grant from the Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women (CFDA 16.736) starting October 1, 2023, under the Transitional Housing Assistance Grants for Victims of Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking Program, providing scattered-site transitional housing for 11 survivors in partnership with Avalon Housing, with services including rental and utility assistance, case management, safety planning, childcare, transportation, career and financial counseling, and job training.

Safehouse Center's federal funding concentrates heavily on pass-through awards from state grantees. The organization received 36 sub-awards (combined dollars obligated $2.1 million) from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services across funding streams including the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA), Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) victim services, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) domestic violence emergency shelter, transitional supportive housing, sexual assault comprehensive services, and supplemental FVPSA mitigation support. Awards flow from four distinct federal customer agencies — the Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families (23 awards), the Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Victims of Crime (11 awards), and the Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women (2 awards) — accounting for 86% of the award footprint. Recent sub-awards span October 2023 through October 2025, with multiple iterations of shelter, family violence prevention, and comprehensive services sub-awards cycling annually.

Activity has modulated year to year, with four awards in 2020, two in 2021, a significant ramp to 13 awards in 2023, 16 in 2024, and six recorded through October 2025. The organization does not hold seats on federal contract vehicles, GWACs, or BPAs — its engagement is exclusively grant-based, flowing through the state's pass-through structure and two direct DOJ Project Grants. Combined dollars obligated across all 42 awards total $3.1 million, reflecting the grant-recipient posture and the organization's regional focus on victim services in Washtenaw County and the Ann Arbor area rather than a national contracting footprint.