Helping Domestic Violence Survivors Rebuild Lives That Feel Like Home

FirstEnergy Foundation awards $100,000 to help provide emergency housing and healing

AKRON, Ohio, Oct. 31, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 16 million people in the U.S. experience intimate partner violence each year — that's nearly 32 people every minute, according to domestic violence advocacy organization Break the Cycle. To help survivors find safe places to heal, the FirstEnergy Foundation is awarding $100,000 in grants to emergency shelters and housing providers across our service territory.

Amanda Mertens Campbell, FirstEnergy's Vice President of External Affairs: "The FirstEnergy Foundation invests in safe housing across our communities. These grants made during Domestic Violence Awareness Month demonstrate our strong commitment to helping individuals rebuild their lives and achieve stability through secure housing and compassionate care."

View photos of FirstEnergy employees and leaders providing donations and supporting local domestic violence initiatives on Flickr.

Grants for Shelter, Safety and Self-Sufficiency

As part of an ongoing commitment to help address housing insecurity, FirstEnergy Foundation awarded grants to organizations that provide emergency shelter and transitional housing in recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness Month. The recipients also offer critical wraparound services such as counseling, legal advocacy and case management to help survivors escape abuse, rebuild lives and establish support networks.

Organizations receiving funding include:

• Heartley House, Frederick, Maryland($12,500): To support Heartly House's free, comprehensive services for survivors in Frederick County. In 2024, the organization served more than 2,000 clients, offering housing lifelines such as emergency and transitional shelter and rental assistance.
• 180 Turning Lives Around, Hazlet, New Jersey($25,000): To support 180's free, confidential services for survivors in Monmouth County. The grant could provide up to 25 families with emergency shelter and meals at a safe house, where counseling, legal advocacy and additional support services are available.
• Bethany House, Toledo, Ohio($12,500): To provide long-term, apartment-style shelter and services for survivors and their children. Over the last 40 years, Bethany House has supported more than 2,000 individuals with long-term shelter and resources — serving an average of 30 families each year.
• Providence House, Cleveland, Ohio($12,500): Last year, Providence House served 876 children and families across 37 Northeast Ohio zip codes. The grant could provide nearly 800 children with warm beds, full bellies and a path to safely reuniting with their families.
• Family Services Inc., Altoona, Pennsylvania($12,500): To help sustain and strengthen comprehensive social services, including temporary emergency sheltering and safety planning for more than 1,000 survivors served by Victim Services each year.
• AWARE, Inc., Sharon, Pennsylvania($12,500): To support the essential operations of three emergency shelters, ensuring continued access to safe housing and critical support. AWARE, Inc. is also active in a regional, rapid rehousing program, providing rental assistance, case management and financial education to 31 families in 2023, nearly triple the number originally projected.
• HOPE, Inc., Fairmont, West Virginia($12,500): To provide safety-focused services in five north-central West Virginia counties. HOPE, Inc. offers emergency shelter at an 11-bed, short-term stay facility and other critical assistance including food, personal items, transportation and safety planning.

Hands-On Help for Communities in Need

In addition to grant funding, FirstEnergy encourages employees to provide hands-on assistance to local nonprofits. The company empowers employees to give back by providing dedicated volunteer time-off (VTO) hours, which many use to help address housing insecurity. Related efforts in 2025 include:

• Donation drives and local walks to raise awareness and funding for local shelters and crisis services.
• Helping at Habitat for Humanity construction sites.
• Preparing meals and delivering groceries for our neighbors struggling with food insecurity.
• Planting and caring for community and pollinator gardens at rapid re-housing and emergency shelters in conjunction with FirstEnergy employee-volunteer Green Teams.

In 2024, FirstEnergy employees contributed more than 26,000 volunteer hours across the company's service territory — working with local organizations to help provide food, shelter and other vital support to community members most in need.

Providing Housing and Hope Year After Year

Since 2020, the FirstEnergy Foundation has donated nearly $1 million to help people in need of temporary shelter or a place to call home, with nearly $300,000 going to organizations that support domestic violence survivors and their families. Approximately $250,000 has been granted to housing-related initiatives to date in 2025 — including the $100,000 in recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness Month. 

About the FirstEnergy Foundation

The FirstEnergy Foundation provides support to 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofits that serve and meet the critical needs of customers in communities served by FirstEnergy's electric operating companies and in areas where the company conducts business. Including Domestic Violence Awareness Month grants to invest in safe shelter, the Foundation has distributed more than $4 million in community support across FirstEnergy's service area to date in 2025.

The FirstEnergy Foundation does not accept unsolicited grant applications. For more information about grant opportunities or corporate sponsorships, visit the FirstEnergy Foundation webpage or email inquiries to FirstEnergy's Community Involvement team.

FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE) is dedicated to integrity, safety, reliability and operational excellence. Its electric distribution companies form one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems, serving more than 6 million customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland and New York. The company's transmission subsidiaries operate approximately 24,000 miles of transmission lines that connect the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions. Follow FirstEnergy online at firstenergycorp.com and on X @FirstEnergyCorp.

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SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.