Marine City Shelter is home away from home for families in need

After 14 years of volunteering at Blue Water Safe Horizons, Nancy DuMars saw an extraordinary need for another shelter in the community.

DuMars envisioned something completely different from traditional shelters: one where families can stay together. At most shelters, women and children are housed separately from men. n times of trauma, wives and children end up struggling without their husbands and fathers.

DuMars understands the logic of the typical shelter set up, but she knows in some cases, it just makes a bad situation worse for a family,. So she and her husband, Steve, decided to create their own shelter, A New Dawn. It's designed with the concept of keeping families together in a home-like setting;a departure from the typical shelter scenario.

“I told my husband I didn’t want my shelter to look anything like a shelter,” DuMars says with a laugh. “I wanted it to look and feel like home, without the cold, industrial feel of other shelters.”

DuMars points out the bunk beds as an example. A fixture of the dormitory-style sleeping arrangements of most shelters A New Dawn's bunk beds are more like custom lofts than typical shelter bunks beds, with an upscale, warm and cozy feel. With the four beds, a pack-and-play and a couch, the shelter is ideal for a family of five or smaller, though in the four-plus years they’ve been open, they’ve had larger families stay comfortably, too.

The 800-square foot former retail space is outfitted like a city studio, with a kitchen, dining area, living area, sleeping space, full bathroom, and bookcases with books, DVDs, games, and more. It feels surprisingly spacious, and comes equipped with several amenities, including a small dishwasher and, when a family arrives--a fridge and cupboards filled with food. If needed, DuMars can activate a wide network to obtain clothing, diapers, and almost anything else a family might need.

DuMars helps about a dozen families each year. Stays have been as short as a night, or as long as four months.
How does DuMars hear about families who need to use the shelter? Churches, of course, contact her to let her know when they hear of a family with a short -to mid-term need. But oddly enough, DuMars says, several of her very short-stay families come referred to her by a local funeral home.

“It does make sense, when you think about it,” DuMars explains. “A family’s lost a loved one, so they spend what they can to travel here, and maybe they just don’t have enough to afford a hotel.” DuMars adds that the home-like setting is a relief for those who have suffered a loss, and she’s happy her shelter can provide comfort during a painful time.

All of the shelter’s operating expenses are paid for by private donors and by the DuMars' themselves.

“A couple of local churches banded together and paid the heat for the winter,” DuMars says, “And Marine City Grill donated a bunch of gift certificates, so the families can even enjoy a meal out.”

Though storage space at the shelter is limited, DuMars says she’s always grateful for donations of canned food items, toiletries, cleaning products, pillows, and gift cards.

DuMars absolutely loves her "retirement work" and is proud to be making a difference in the lives of others.

For safety reasons, DuMars prefers not to share the address of the shelter, and asks that anyone who would like to make a donation, or who knows of a family in need, contact her via A New Dawn’s Facebook page at facebook.com/Dawns.shelter.