SIDNEY -- The Historic Preservation Board granted $20,000 in Facade Enhancement Grant funds to Safe At Home at their new downtown Sidney location for the improvements they made to their facade. 

 "The Historic Preservation Board was happy to present $20,000 in facade enhancement grant funds to Safe At Home," Melissa Norgard, Historic Preservation Board Chairperson. "Improvement projects like these continue to help revitalize and improve the look of the downtown corridor."
 
Safe at Home, 925 10th Ave., Sidney, is a program that offers home services for elderly and people who need assistance due to physical limits. Safe At Home recently moved its offices to downtown Sidney. Safe At Home works across much of the state of Nebraska.
 
"We do companion services, with elderly people or people with disabilities. Pretty much anybody can hire us. We mostly try to work in rural areas, but we do have some clients in Omaha," said Amber Fields, owner of Safe At Home.
 
She said some of their focus is filling the gap between independent living and nursing home or assisted living. Fields said Safe At Home has 135 homes across the state on their client list.
 
Some of the duties Safe At Home staff can help with are: light day-to-day housekeeping, grocery and errand services, help with dressing and grooming, transferring and walking assistance, meal preparation, and companionship. 
 
Fields said they wanted their offices in downtown Sidney.
 
"We chose to be in downtown (Sidney) because I am from Sidney, and I wanted us to be here because when we're down here people tend to eat here, shop down here more. I thought that was really important," Fields said.
 
She said she also saw a need to be part of a new look for downtown.
 
"We really thought that downtown, needed revitalized," Fields said.
 
Safe At Home also purchased the building across the street, the former home of Daisies & Dragons. The additional space will be used for office space. They are working on a new facade look for the second address as well.
 
"We want it to look nice down here," she said. 
 
Additionally, they are getting as much of their supplies and labor as possible from local sources.
 
Safe At Home Chief Financial Officer Jennifer Powell said her relationship with the company started as a client; she contracted for services for a family member. 
 
"Amber is always able to expand and grow, especially in rural areas," Powell said.