ESCANABA — Tri County Safe Harbor, Inc. has received a $50,000 donation from Greg and Linda Yagodzinski. This donation will supplement federal, local and state grant funding in order to continue to operate the agency.

Tri County Safe Harbor serves victims of intimate partner domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and dating violence. The organization has been operational since 1982 and serves Delta, Menominee and Schoolcraft Counties. The 15-bed shelter is located in Escanaba. It houses women and children that have been victims of intimate partner domestic violence and sexual assault who are in an unsafe situation. The shelter provides them with a safe place to stay. In addition, Tri County Safe Harbor does assist with providing a safe place for men and their children if they are the victims although at this time they are not housed at the shelter.

Tri County Safe Harbor also provides other services if someone needs assistance but is not in need of shelter. Some of these services include a 24-hour crisis line, advocacy, court support, transportation, assistance with personal protection orders, and information and referrals to other agencies. In addition, staff can provide advocacy and support to victims at the hospital if an assault occurs. Tri County Safe Harbor also has outreach offices in Manistique, and Menominee that offer the same services that a victim could receive in shelter.

In 2020, Tri County Safe Harbor provided assistance to 111 women, 56 children and two men. They had 429 crisis calls and provided 1548 shelter nights to those in need.

“The general community may not realize how much of a problem domestic violence is in our counties. It is a very real issue and we, at Tri County Safe Harbor, do our best to ensure that our services are available 24/7. Our community has been so supportive of what we do, and we simply cannot continue to provide the services we do without the donations we receive throughout the year. The Yagodzinski’s have been huge supporters of our organization for years and we are grateful for their continued support,” said Erin Viau, executive director.

If someone is in need of services from Tri County Safe Harbor, they can call the 24/7 helpline at 906-789-1166. To make a donation to our agency, please contact Erin at 906-553-7357 or visit our webpage at www.safe3c.com