A group home for abused women and their children in downtown Windsor, Ont., will receive more than $288,000 for renovations, the federal government announced Friday.

The money will be spent to enhance security at Hiatus House, a 42-bed facility that opened in 1976.

"Over the last several years, we have been able to undertake a number of significant capital projects that we would otherwise have been unable to complete without the help of this funding," said Sue McMullen, vice-president of the home's board of directors.

Security improvements at Hiatus House will include new bulletproof windows, security cameras and better fencing around the playground area. (Andrea Lee/CBC)

Those include replacing the home's bulletproof windows, adding security cameras and improving fencing around the playground area, according to a press release.

The changes are critical, said Debra Fowler, a former resident of Hiatus House.

"If a woman does not feel safe coming to the shelter, she might as well stay home," Fowler told CBC News.

"Many women are very afraid for their lives, so they need to come in the front door, and they do that by feeling safe and secure because of the structure of the building," she said.

The money is part of a $73-million initiative by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. to improve shelters across Ontario.

The Shelter Enhancement Program provides funding for "the repair, rehabilitation and improvement of existing shelters for women and their children, youth or men who are victims of family violence, as well as for the acquisition or construction of new shelters and second-stage housing where needed," according to the program's website.

"The women and children from the services of Hiatus House in Windsor will now be able to access safer and more secure housing, and build a stronger future for themselves," said Diane Finley, minister responsible for CMHC, who attended the announcement Friday morning.