Safe Harbor has opened its new domestic abuse center in Greenville County.
The nonprofit organization partnered with Greenville-based M Peters Group to redevelop the 101-year-old Gordon Street Mill into the new campus. The approximately 46,000-square-foot facility on Gordon Street brings Safe Harbor’s emergency shelter and support services for domestic violence survivors under one roof.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held for Safe Harbor’s new campus on Aug. 21. Julie Pringle, interim CEO and director of finance for Safe Harbor, said the center was created to give those fleeing domestic violence greater privacy while surrounding them with the services and support they need to heal and rebuild their lives.
“The project began in 2018 with a vision,” Pringle said. “A vision that survivors of domestic abuse deserve not only safety but dignity. A vision that families in crisis deserve privacy, stability and a place where healing can begin. Today, that vision stands before us.”
The new center provides 65 beds for women and their children, an increase from the approximately 20 beds at Safe Harbor’s existing shelter in downtown Greenville. Michelle Gilbert, the nonprofit’s director of advocacy and housing, said the building was designed with survivors in mind, offering individualized suites with private kitchens, living spaces and bedrooms.
“Safe Harbor has a long history of providing domestic abuse services that go back 50-plus years in terms of our footprint throughout the community,” Gilbert said. “This is the first time that we are moving to a space that was completely designed by us for survivors.”
Domestic abuse survivors typically stay up to 60 days in Safe Harbor’s shelters. Residents at the new facility will have access to wraparound services, including clinical therapy, case management, housing assistance and more. Gilbert explained that providing these services in-house reduces transportation and child care barriers for the survivors.
Safe Harbor’s administrative and support teams have moved into the new campus on Gordon Street. The nonprofit plans to gradually fill the available beds within the new shelter over the next several months. Gilbert said it will take around a year for the facility to reach full capacity.
“Our goal is to serve eventually all demographics,” Gilbert said. “We will start off with just women and children, but we do hope to be able to expand those services to other demographics as well.”
Annually, Safe Harbor serves more than 600 domestic abuse survivors across Anderson, Greenville, Oconee and Pickens counties. For more information, visit safeharborsc.org.
Affordable housing
In addition to Safe Harbor’s campus, M Peters Group created an 116-unit affordable housing complex on the former Gordon Street Mill campus. The Gordon Street Lofts opened in August 2025 to serve households earning 60% of the area median income.
Statistics
1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men experience domestic abuse in their lifetime
More than 30,000 cases of intimate partner violence are reported in South Carolina each year
Source: Safe Harbor
