PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — The Northern Lighthouse Inc. was recently awarded a $91,546 grant by the Rodney and Mary Barton Smith Family Foundation to support Safe Harbor Shelter, an all-inclusive emergency shelter for homeless youth ages 10-17 in Aroostook County.
Safe Harbor Shelter will be located on 14 Main Street in Mars Hill and will provide safe emergency shelter and support services to children and teens, providing a solution to the gap of needed services for homeless youth in Aroostook County.
These funds will be applied to costs of the fire alarm system, sprinkler system and building improvements that are necessary to open the shelter.
“The support and funds we have received from the Rodney and Mary Barton Smith Family Foundation were integral to the startup of Safe Harbor Shelter” said Blake Hatt, Chief Operations Officer at The Northern Lighthouse.
“Their generosity will be felt across Aroostook County once the Safe Harbor Shelter is open and providing much needed support to the youth of Aroostook County,” he said.
These funds have helped the organization make capital improvements and transform the existing building into an emergency shelter.
“The Northern Lighthouse, Inc. is grateful for the support from the Rodney and Mary Barton Smith Family Foundation for this project. Because of their support, The Northern Lighthouse, Inc. will be able to open the shelter within the upcoming months, once the sprinkler system installation is complete,” Hatt said.
