Victims of domestic and family violence will be able to more easily access support and services needed to help them heal from abuse, thanks to a new building under development by the Sojourner Family Peace Center.

The Greater Milwaukee Foundation provided a $50,000 grant during its fourth quarter competitive grantmaking cycle to support preconstruction work on the nonprofit’s Family Justice Center. Located on 6th and Walnut streets in Milwaukee, the 78,000-square-foot will be the nation’s first colocation of domestic violence services, shelter and a child advocacy center .

“This development is critically important to improving the lives of thousands of individuals in Milwaukee who are impacted by domestic violence,” said Janel Hines, the Foundation’s director of grant programs. “This new center will provide a more effective approach that will enable them to begin the healing process that much faster.”

The grant was a part of a total of $1,084,000 awarded through the Foundation’s fourth quarter competitive grant cycle. Additional grants of $30,000 and above include:

Strengthening neighborhoods Local Initiatives Support Corp: $75,000 to support the agency’s efforts to increase capacity building among nonprofits, leadership development among residents and nonprofit staff in Milwaukee neighborhoods and support cross neighborhood collaboration.

Layton Boulevard West Neighbors: $60,000 to partially support the organization’s implementation of Healthy Neighborhood Initiative strategies in Milwaukee’s Silver City, Burnham Park and Layton Park neighborhoods.

Agape Community Center: $55,000 to support the organization’s implementation of strategies in the Thurston Woods, Fairfield and Old North Milwaukee neighborhoods.

Sherman Park Community Association: $52,000 to support the organization’s implementation of Healthy Neighborhoods Initiative strategies.

Urban Anthropology: $44,000 to support implementation of Healthy Neighborhoods Initiative strategies in the Lincoln Village and Baran Park neighborhoods.

Havenwoods Economic Development Corporation: $40,000 to support implementation of Healthy Neighborhoods Initiative strategies in Milwaukee’s Havenwoods neighborhood.

Strengthening education Cardinal Stritch University: $85,000 to replicate the university’s Literacy Center reading intervention staff training model.

College Possible: $75,000 to support the organization’s academic readiness programming, which will focus on ACT preparation and serve more than 300 students at 10 Milwaukee high schools.

Teach for America: $50,000 to support teacher leadership development.

Milwaukee Repertory Theater: $30,000 for its Reading Residencies program, which aims to improve literacy through theater. In the spring, the residency will focus on The Rep’s production of A Raisin in the Sun.

Increasing income and building assets Wisconsin Community Services: $50,000 to continue the work of the Center for Drivers License Recovery and Employability. Since it launched in 2007, the center has served 10,796 Milwaukee County residents and helped 2,233 recover their licenses.

Riverworks Development Corporation: $30,000 to support staff who will work on the agency’s Riverworks Workforce Partnership Initiative, which will help identify local employers’ needs and work with local residents who can meet the job requirements or receive training to fill available positions.

Community responsive grantmaking Center for Veterans Issues: $50,000 for Boudicca House, a transitional housing program for single homeless female veterans and homeless female veterans and their children.

Express Yourself Milwaukee: $35,000 to support continuation of the agency’s efforts to help provide more intensive case management to youth involved in its programming.