FARMVILLE – Madeline's House has found a relocation site, according to executive director Emily Marshall.

“The property is in Blackstone. It is a residential property that was rezoned for our use (special permit),” Marshall told The Herald last week in an email response to the newspaper's query.

The domestic violence safe house and sexual assault crisis center now faces the challenge of moving from one location to another without missing a beat, and ensuring the new site is secure.

But that objective is far easier than coping with no place to call home.

Madeline's House must vacate its 33-bed safe house shelter in Nottoway County because approximately 1,500 acres at Fort Pickett will be dedicated to use by the U.S. Department of Foreign Affairs Security Training Center project and the shelter is sited on that parcel.

“We will definitely have to temporarily down-size until we can finish our Capital Campaign,” Marshall explained. “We have enough money for the down payment and a lot of pledges still to come in.

“We still have to meet the challenge of adding office space to the new location. There is enough room for 12 residents, so we will need to utilize off-site housing for the less risky cases when our census goes up,” Marshall said.

Ten of the 12 counties served by Madeline's House approved the requested $3,000 donation to make the down payment.

“Now our challenge is to continue fundraising for relocation expenses and office construction, make renovations to the house, downsize and pack, then move,” she said.

The move is expected this summer.

The organization is currently looking for temporary off-site office space close to the new shelter location, which will require creative use of staff schedules to cover both the shelter and the offices now that there are only four staff members.

“We'll manage,” Marshall declared.

“It looks promising that we can live up to our determined statement of 'there will be no lapse in services,'” she said.

“God is good.”