A Portsmouth homeless shelter is able to complete a planned expansion into Chesapeake’s Western Branch community, thanks to A. Dodson’s.

The boutique gift shop, based in North Suffolk, is winner of the 2015 Independent Small Business of the Year Award. The award is given annually by Independent We Stand, a Virginia Beach-based organization that promotes small, independent businesses nationwide with the contest based on daily digital media votes.

When drumming up support for votes last month, owner Alison Dodson pledged to donate the $5,000 cash prize to a community nonprofit if she won.

Using suggestions received on the store’s Facebook page, Dodson has given the prize awarded to Help & Emergency Response Inc.

H.E.R. provides shelter for women and children who are homeless or victims of domestic abuse. All 42 beds in the Portsmouth shelter are used every night, with stays averaging from one to three months, executive director Beth Cross said.

“This is an incredible donation,” said Cross. “A normal major gift for us is $500. “

Dodson’s contribution — along with a matching contribution from Elizabeth River Crossing — will enable the shelter to finish opening a new 10-bed facility in Chesapeake, Cross said.

That project has been in the works for a couple of years, Cross said. After a successful capital campaign to buy the house last year, the project hit a major glitch before closing last October, Cross said.

The two donations will allow H.E.R. to buy the new $70,000 pipe fitting required before the deal can be finalized, Cross said.

The new shelter will provide a much-needed haven for battered women in Hampton Roads, mostly from Suffolk, Portsmouth and Chesapeake, she added.

“We’ve been at capacity every night for the past two years,” Cross said. She expects the new building will enable H.E.R. to provide an additional 4,000 to 5,000 nights of shelter annually.

“We are humbled to support H.E.R.’s mission to provide leadership, advocacy, and resources to survivors and communities affected by domestic violence and homelessness,” Dodson said.

As part of the award, A. Dodson’s also won a $5,000 website development package for small businesses. Because her company already has a strong online presence, Dodson is donating that prize to a Georgia boutique, Coco’s Cottage, one of the other semifinalists in the Indie Award competition.

Bill Brunelle, co-founder of Independent We Stand, said A. Dodson’s pay-it-forward philosophy in business resonates with customers. The company, which also has stores in Norfolk and Virginia Beach, lets customers round up their purchases and then donates the monthly proceeds, plus a company match, to different local charities.

“A. Dodson’s rose to the top with a mission to serve their customers and their community by providing a way for shoppers to pay it forward with each purchase through their ‘Round Up’ program,” Brunelle said.