Highland rape crisis center lands $500K federal housing assistance grant

Highland’s Fair Haven Rape Crisis Center will receive a $500,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), the office of U.S. Congressman Frank Mrvan, D-Highland, announced on Monday.

Founded in 2005, the organization provides medical and legal guidance to Lake, Porter and LaPorte County residents in the aftermath of a domestic or sexual assault. It also offers counseling and other longer-term programs aimed at helping survivors recover and thrive.

Fair Haven plans to expand its services to include short-term housing for people whose access to shelter has been jeopardized by domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking. Last year, the organization purchased the downtown Highland building where it has long rented space, and is planning substantial renovations to the property. Fair Haven aims to provide five apartment units for adults at its new “Portside Suites” complex, according to its website.

“Housing is more than shelter — it is the foundation of safety, dignity, and a future free from violence,” Fair Haven founder and executive director Kelly Vates said in a press release from Mrvan’s office.

The recently announced grant funds will come from the OVW’s Transitional Housing Assistance Grant program. The money will not support the construction project, but will help with costs associated with running the housing program, , which supports programs that provide between six and 24 months of temporary housing for survivors, over a three-year period.

The project was originally slated to break ground in September, but Vates said that it was met with unexpected delays.

“I anticipate in the new year we’ll break ground ASAP and should be up and running, we’re hoping, before spring or summer 2026,” she told The Times.

The project, which has received a total of $1.8 million in federal grant funds, now faces a roughly $1 million shortfall. Vates blamed the gap on inflation-driven increases in the price of building materials and other construction costs.

“We’re trying to reduce some costs here and there and find some additional donors, so if, you know, if we could raise an additional $400,000, I think we’d be in good shape,” she said.

In his press release, Mrvan cheered Fair Haven’s work.

“Congratulations to all of the leaders of Fair Haven Rape Crisis Center for your dedicated efforts to support survivors in Northwest Indiana and for successfully securing this federal resource,” Mrvan wrote in the press release. “I will continue to do all I can to vocally advocate for resources and funding for federal programs that provide essential support to survivors of domestic and sexual violence in Northwest Indiana and throughout our nation.”