OGDEN -- Serenity House will be able to finish its renovation and allow veterans to access services in the future thanks to a $150,000 grant from the Daniels Fund Scholarship Program.
"It's very, very helpful," said Valerie Fritz, the president of House of Hope, of which Serenity House is a part. "We're so excited. It will help with some critical upgrades so we can get a contract to serve veterans."
Fritz said the facility, 2740 Pennsylvania Ave., needs escape windows, smoke detectors and fire sprinklers before the Veterans Association will approve a contract for veterans to receive treatment from the residential and day substance-abuse treatment center.
"We are hoping within a month to have (the work) contracted out," she said. "Then it will be up to the Veterans Association how long it takes to get a contract."
The grant also will allow the nonprofit organization to purchase a new up-to-code stove and exhaust fan for the kitchen, provide other updates and help provide more services for low- and middle-income treatment services.
The Daniels Fund grant program awards money yearly to nonprofit organizations in Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Wyoming. Fritz said this is the third time Serenity House has received a grant from the organization, but the first time it has been able to use the money toward both renovation and treatment costs.
"They have helped a lot of Utahns," she said.
"They've been a major force in helping us to provide treatment for Northern Utah. We're really grateful to them."
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