Charlottesville Design House

For over thirty years, the Shelter for Help in Emergency (SHE) has committed to providing a safe, confidential, and respectful environment in which survivors of domestic violence are empowered with the knowledge of personal and community resources as well as the skills needed to make informed decisions for themselves and for their families. In 2009, the Shelter's 30th anniversary year, a vision for establishing a major fundraising event to help sustain the Shelter's residential facilities operations and outreach in the greater Charlottesville community was established in the Design House event. The idea for a Design House to benefit SHE had its roots in the new emergency residential shelter opened in 2008. As the first facility designed from the ground up specifically for victims of domestic violence in our community, it was important that the shelter should be bright, airy and welcoming—an inspiring, nurturing environment to foster physical and emotional healing. With Design House, SHE hopes to offer a tangible reminder of the home we would wish for each person in our community: a haven of love and laughter, free from fear and violence. No matter how different the structures of our dwellings may be, surely they can all share that quality at heart, because peace on earth begins at home.