WATCH: Serene Harbor Domestic Violence Shelter Damaged By Fire, in Difficult Financial Situation

blaze required relocation of all shelter residents temporarily due to damage

ABOVE VIDEO: Brevard Sheriff Wayne Ivey visits Serene Harbor Domestic Violence Shelter after it was damaged by a recent fire and is battling a difficult financial situation.

BREVARD COUNTY • PALM BAY, FLORIDA – We regret to inform you Serene Harbor domestic violence shelter was damaged by a kitchen fire last night. We are relieved that no residents or staff were injured.

Unfortunately, we are unable to house any additional victims at this time.

We will quickly assess the damage and the time it will take to make our facility livable again, and will make that information available as soon as we have it.

The blaze required us to relocate all of our shelter residents temporarily due to damage from fire, smoke, and water. Our advocates acted bravely and professionally, following all the safety protocols they had been taught.

It’s their good work that prevented any injuries or greater damage to the building.

Beverly DeMeyer, Serene Harbor President/CEO: We regret to inform you Serene Harbor domestic violence shelter was damaged by a kitchen fire last night. We are relieved that no residents or staff were injured.

Our hotline is open and has been routed to the state hotline to assist during this time. Our hotline is 321-726-8282 and the state hotline is 800-500-1119.

We are still providing services such as outreach, legal advocacy, relocation assistance, educational webinars, and virtual support groups via Zoom.

Please contact our Program Director, Michelle Garcia at 321-537-7080 or mgarcia@sereneharbor.org with any questions regarding these services.

Serene Harbor Supports Domestic Violence VictimsRelated Story:
Serene Harbor Supports Domestic Violence Victims

We don’t know when we can return residents to the facility, but we will work diligently to do so.

We want to thank the fire department for responding so quickly and we are grateful for their service.

Serene Harbor already is in a difficult financial situation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We’ve had to cancel our traditional fundraising events and have scheduled a virtual event for May 7.

As is the case with virtual fundraisers, this is not expected to yield the same fundraising results as our past live events. Because of that, any donations you could make toward repairs and our overall mission would be greatly appreciated.

Your generous support will help us make repairs and return to our full mission quickly and with renewed commitment.

You can donate at www.sereneharbor.org/donate-2 or contact Nikki Helton at 321-537-2544 or at nikki.helton@sereneharbor.org for more donation information.

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