By MOLLY DAVIDSON / Staff Writer

Alabama Power recently awarded SafeHouse of Shelby County a $10,000 Nonprofit Energy Efficiency Program grant from the Alabama Business Charitable Trust Fund.

SafeHouse of Shelby County offers a variety of services to help victims of domestic and sexual violence, including a 24-hour crisis line, counseling, legal assistance, emergency housing and transitional housing. The organization also raises awareness about sexual and domestic violence through community programs and information sessions.

SafeHouse of Shelby County is one of only seven organizations statewide, and the only in Shelby County, to receive the $10,000 NEEP grant.

“These grants help nonprofit organizations make their facilities more energy efficient and save money, which in turn allows them to better serve their clients. We are happy to partner with them,” John Hudson, president of the Alabama Power Foundation and executive director of ABC Trust Fund said in news release.

“There are a number of occasions where nonprofits end up using a headquarters that often isn’t the best for them,” Isaac Pigott of Alabama Power explained. “A lot of those buildings often… don’t have the most up-to-date heating and cooling.”

The money from the grant allows nonprofits to spend less on energy and more on the services they provide to the community, Pigott explained, adding although organizations may incur an upfront cost from energy efficient improvements, “energy efficiency is the gift that keeps on giving,” saving organizations money over time.

SafeHouse of Shelby County has announced plans to use the $10,000 NEEP grant to make improvements to the heating and cooling system in the organization’s shelter.

More information about SafeHouse of Shelby County can be found online at Safehouse.org.