April 29, 2026
BY JOHN BAILEY
Look up the word Haven and you’ll see it defined as a place of safety, a refuge from danger and distress.
Now, imagine being a female high school student forced to live in your car or being an 81-year-old woman with no home and no one to turn to for help. Suddenly ‘Haven’ becomes more than a word, it’s a symbol of a better life and that’s what Safe Harbor in Hickory is hoping it’s new housing program, The Haven, becomes for women of all ages and backgrounds.
The Haven will be a set of 11 homes (256 square feet each) that will be built on Safe Harbor’s campus and can accommodate up to four individuals. These cottages are compact in design but include a bedroom, living space, kitchen space and a bathroom. A central laundry space is already on site. Residents will also have access to all the services offered through the agency’s community center – resources for housing, employment and recovery.
The agency recently received final approval from the City of Hickory and the cottages are expected to be ready by the end of the year, according to Safe Harbor Executive Director Gigi Williams. She expects The Haven will be key to helping the agency meet the growing need for women’s transitional housing in the county.
CRISIS NUMBERS INCREASING
In 2024, NC 211 (United Way of North Carolina’s community services help line) received 20,318 requests for help with emergency housing from women across the state. That number increased by nearly 4,000 requests in 2025. Catawba County followed the same pattern, going from 229 to 281 in the same time frame.
Currently, Safe Harbor has three housing programs along with a day program for women and women with children. According to the agency's 2025 Impact Report it served 510 women and 53 children last year.
Whole Woman is a residential recovery program and has 10 beds. The Passage has six beds and is for women who are homeless and in crisis. Then Safe Harbor has the GreenLeaf program, a 15-apartment complex for women who are on the final leg of their journey to being financially independent and on their way to permanent housing.
The Haven is meant to provide alternatives for Safe Harbor residents who don’t directly fit into one of these programs.
“As an example of who this could help, we had a woman who was extremely, mentally ill. She couldn’t get stabilized on her medication because she couldn’t keep her medication because she was living on the street,” Williams said. “She was abrasive because she wasn’t on her medication…you can’t put her in communal living, but you could put her in The Haven and allow her to get stabilized and then figure out where she needs to go.”
Another example occurred this past winter. A woman was living with two kids in her car when the temperature was falling well below freezing.
“We went outside the rules and put her in The Passage until we could find an apartment, but it wasn’t ideal because it isn’t a place for children,” Williams said. “The Haven changes that scenario now and provides more flexibility in housing so services can still be provided.”
Ultimately, The Haven along with all the other programs at Safe Harbor are about having a broader impact, helping more than a single woman or even a single family.
“The women who come here become independent, self-sufficient citizens who contribute to their community,” Williams said. “So many of our individuals have gone on to be social workers and working in the field of recovery and homelessness and so now you’re multiplying the impact they have.”
Ground Breaking for The Haven is May 26 at Safe Harbor (112 2nd Ave SE, Hickory). Festivities start at 3 p.m. with the ceremony at 4 p.m.
OTHER RESOURCES
Catawba County also has a number of similar housing programs for men specifically, including the transitional housing programs at The Salvation Army of Greater Hickory and Strong Life Ministry in Conover.
To learn about other housing and shelter sites in Catawba County, visit nc211.org or just dial 2-1-1 or call United Way Catawba County at 828-327-6851.
