New battered women's shelter to break ground in Bemidji this week

More than 550 victim-survivors were turned away from Bemidji's Northwoods Battered Women's Shelter in 2022 due to a lack of space. Crews break ground this week on a new $4.1 million facility funded by grants and donations.

"I'm blown away by the community's support. Everyone believes in this and knows that it's needed," said executive director Christine Latzke. "Our business is saving peoples lives."

Plans to replace the 46-year-old facility are decades in the making. With increased capacity, Latzke said the organization will refer fewer people to sister shelters and provide more programming. Advocates are on duty 24/7 for mental health services and legal referrals and to accompany clients to court.

The new shelter will feature eight bedrooms, five offices, two intake rooms, a playroom, meeting room, therapy room, laundry and a great room with kitchen.

Latzke said the shelter serves Beltrami, Hubbard, Cass and Clearwater counties but victim-survivors come as far as neighboring states.

It was the only women's shelter in the area until June 2022. The nearby community of Akeley — seeing an unmet demand when two women were sleeping in the parking lot of the Akeley Regional Community Center — decided to open a shelter in the center. As of November, it has provided more than 4,000 nights of safe shelter.

Groundbreaking on the 7,775-square-foot building in Bemidji will take place May 17 at 1215 30th Street NW., followed by a sold-out gala. Construction is expected to take 10 months with a grand opening slated for next spring.

The project has so far raised $3.8 million.