Dr. Jan Hahn, board chairman for the organization that aims to aid women and children in domestic violence situations, said Grimes submitted her resignation Jan. 13, effective immediately.

"She has been there a long time, six or seven years. Everyone gets tired. We all reach a point in our careers when it is time to take a breather. She decided to explore other aspects, both personal and professional. She felt with the restructuring, it was a good time."

The "restructuring" to which Hahn referred includes several measures implemented to save money and generate funds for continuing operations. At a time when needs are increasing, the not-for-profit faced funding cutbacks that threatened its continued existence.

The homeless shelter closed at the end of October. Although the homeless shelter remains closed,  Hahn said, "the domestic violence program is fully functional, and we now have a program in place to increase our assets."

Through $500,000 grant funding obtained through the Neighborhood Stabilization Program, Iva's Place is purchasing foreclosed homes in Loudon and renovating them for rent to low-income families needing homes. In addition, the organization is renovating an office building and plans to rent out office spaces to other not-for-profit agencies.

"Our Division II is operational, and the money obtained from renting will be fed back into the organization," Hahn said. "Iva's Place ended the year (2009) in a perilous state, but we have managed to right ourselves due to the generosity of the people of Loudon County. We are not out of the woods, but we are going to survive and be stronger."

Sylvia Martin, another longtime Iva's Place employee, will remain director of Iva's Place Division II, based in Loudon, Hahn said.

"We are looking for someone to manage the soup kitchen and the domestic violence homeless shelter," Hahn said. "We are advertising and we anticipate finding someone to assume the program director/Division I position."

Hahn said the restructuring to divide labor and tasks was a necessary step. "Having one person to manage all six aspects of Iva's Place was more than a human being should be asked to bear."

Iva's Place was begun as a domestic violence program in 1991. It was chartered as a 501 (c) (3) in 2005, and is led by a board of directors of up to 12 members. Currently, 10 directors serve.

Grimes could not be reached for comment.