The Page Regional Domestic Violence Shelter will be getting a complete facelift.
The aging structure which for years has been used to house abused women and children, will undergo massive changes thanks to generous gifts from the Steven Alex Cohen Foundation and the state of  Arizona.
Gregg Martinez, the executive director of Another Way, explained the grant from the Cohen Foundation was almost by accident.
“Steven Cohen is a hedge fund manager who is one of the most successful hedge fund managers in the nation,” Martinez said. “He opened a foundation and his wife runs it.”
For many years, the foundation donated primarily to children’s causes on the east coast.
“They were branching out,” Martinez explained. “On their way to Scottsdale to visit Basis, they wanted to stop by a domestic violence shelter.”
The members of the group Googled domestic violence shelters in the Grand Canyon region, and Another Way was at the top. The members on the trip called and ended up spending most of a day with Martinez in Page. A short time later, Martinez flew to New York and visited the foundation in Stamford, Conn.
“I gave my presentation and told them we wanted to remodel our campus,” Martinez said. “We have to remodel these units. There are bed bugs in them and there’s no way to get rid of them.”
The Cohen Foundation was impressed and gave Another Way $260,000 to start the work. The state gave the organization another $50,000 to build a greenhouse.
The plan Martinez has laid out will run in three phases. Phase one, which has already begun, will completely remodel the three living units as well as the exterior of most of the remaining buildings. It will also include putting in a greenhouse where clients can begin growing food.
Work on the greenhouse is underway and should be completed within a couple of weeks, just in time to have the first crop by the end of the summer.

Later this summer, work will begin on the first living unit at the shelter in Page. Martinez said it will cost about $75,000 for each living unit, which will be rebuilt inside and out and will get all new furniture.
“We work with Lake Powell Construction, and Jim Arnold has been amazing,” Martinez said. “He has been able to get a lot of donations.”
Martinez said the greenhouse will serve a lot of functions. It will obviously allow Another Way to grow fresh food for clients, but Martinez also believes it can help in the healing process.
“The residents have a hard time trusting because their victimization was done by an individual,” he explained. “We’re hoping this place will work as a bridge.”
A third aspect is Martinez hopes Another Way can begin selling some excess produce as an additional way to raise money for its services.
“We also really want to start implementing social entepreneurship,” Martinez said. “All nonprofits should start heading that direction. We want to help people eat healthy for cheap.”
But the biggest beneficiary will be the clients themselves. During their time with Another Way, most of the women live and eat in the shelter. Martinez said fresh, healthy choices will be beneficial.
“We’ve been partnering up with the Circle of Page for a number of years now, and they are a huge help,” Martinez said. “But it’s not fresh food. If I put them on a healthy diet, I believe they will feel better about themselves. We’ll see how it works.”
The final step to Phase 1 of construction will be a fence surrounding the front of the facility and the parking lot.
In Phase 2, which is tentatively scheduled for 2019-2020, the plan is to renovate the main office into a commercial kitchen, which can then be used for a public restaurant, convert the existing kitchen area into a duplex, build three additional greenhouses, redo the parking lot and add fencing.
In Phase 3, which is scheduled for 2022, workers would add a pool, juice bar, landscaping and fencing to the back yard and build a Hogan Healing Center that could be a used for a number of occasions.
“This is the future,” Martinez said. “In three to five years, it’s going to look totally different.”
The question now is how to fund the second and third phases. And Martinez thinks he knows. He has already been working with the USDA and feels confident some money could be there to help.
“I think we’ll get money from USDA, and I think we may get a second grant from the Cohens,” Martinez said. “The money from the USDA will cover Phase 2.”
During construction, the only sounds coming from the shelter will be hammers, tools and workers. The clients will be moved to safer locations.
“We have additional housing around Page and across the Navajo Nation, so right now there are no women behind this fence,” Martinez said. “We’re not losing any beds. We have a unit with 12 beds and another with eight. We are licensed by the state for 20 beds.”
While the work at the shelter is just beginning, Martinez said he can’t wait to see the finished product.
“This is going to look totally different,” he said. “Once it’s all done, this will be a national highlight. There is nothing else like this. I feel I can say this will be the most beautiful campus is Northern Arizona and Southern Utah.”