The YWCA Capital Campaign is
Essential to Support our Community.
Together, We Can Make a Difference.
At the YWCA, we are working towards renovating our outdated 1950s building to create a safe, welcoming facility. This will allow for an increase in service capacity and ensure the dignity of our clients. Currently, our building does not meet the needs of our community. We intend to offer dignity, comfort, and peace to those in need, yet we are currently fighting to provide a less cramped, more comfortable, safe space.
This renovation project will update systems and provide our children, families, clients, and staff with facilities that meet modern standards for security, comfort, and accessibility. Consolidating and enhancing the current square footage will expand capacity, improve security, and advance the ability of the YWCA of Northwest Ohio to provide more effective and efficient services.
Your support makes all of this possible.
The vision of this renovation is to better serve the women and families who rely on our valuable programs and services.
Our mission is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women, and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all.
Why We’re Renovating
Since 1870, YWCA Northwest Ohio has stood for the empowerment and enrichment of women and girls. As the needs of women in our community have changed, the YWCA has grown to meet these challenges. Now, over 150 years later, when women in our community escape violent home situations with no belongings left and nowhere to go, we strive to provide a safe space to shelter the women and children who are in need of our support.
Survivors of abuse come from all walks of life and when they turn to the city’s only Emergency Domestic Violence Shelter at the YWCA, we want to be ready. Oftentimes, survivors are juggling the demands of caring for their children in cramped communal spaces while they begin the hard work of building a new path forward with the help of the YWCA’s programs and resources.
Renovating our outdated 1950s building will not only create a safer, more welcoming facility. It will also increase our Emergency Domestic Violence Shelter capacity allowing us to serve more women and children who have survived domestic abuse and need our support.
“We want to create a more dignified space from a place of security and warmth” – Lisa McDuffie, President & CEO
Our YWCA has been a leading champion for social change and a valuable community resource for 154 years. Your investment in the YWCA of Northwest Ohio is an investment in our community helping us to provide a dignified place for women and children to heal, learn, and grow.
We ask for your support in our renovations to fix deterioration issues, update systems, and provide our community and staff with facilities that provide safety, comfort, and accessibility.
Renovation Impact ↘
The most essential piece of our Capital Campaign revolves around our Emergency Domestic Violence Shelter. The impact that renovations will have on community members escaping abuse will be invaluable. These individuals deserve a more dignified space to recover from their trauma as the utilize the YW’s wrap-around services to transform their lives and move forward from their trauma.
Capital Campaign Q+A
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Crews have completed asbestos remediation, and begun construction that will be conducted in two phases. The first phase is underway with an estimated completion time of 12-15 months. Phase Two of construction will begin immediately after the completion of Phase 1 and is projected to be completed in another 12-15 months.
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Phase One has been made possible by securing $13.5 million and will include:
Asbestos remediation, completed.
Mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and HVAC systems overhaul.
Partial roof replacement.
Bedrock foundation installation in the former swimming pool area.
Construction of 11 new resident rooms for the Domestic Violence Shelter.
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Phase Two has been made possible by securing an additional $5.5 million and will include:
First-floor space for community programs and administrative offices.
Completion of all second-floor resident rooms and shelter staff offices.
New third floor resident rooms, renovation of existing shelter space, and a new kitchen and dining space for our Domestic Violence Shelter.
A renovated intake/front desk area and the completion of the roof replacement.
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Yes, the YWCA has dedicated $1 million toward the campaign.
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Yes. We looked at alternative sites downtown and we considered razing the building to rebuild. After extensive meetings with the architects, it was determined that renovation was the most cost-effective solution. A new building would nearly double the cost, it was determined that renovation was the most cost-effective solution. A new building would nearly double the cost.
Make a gift today to support our Capital Campaign and help the YWCA transform the lives of some of the most vulnerable in our community.
Renovations will add rooms to increase our shelter capacity and improve comfort for residents.
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Access
Our 24-hour Emergency Domestic Violence Shelter does not turn away anyone in need. Currently if there are not rooms available in our facility, lodgings are secured in area hotels. This puts significant and unpredictable strain on related budgets. With renovations, we will be able to provide additional spaces and rooms for women and children to find a safe haven away from their abusers. This will double the current capacity of our Domestic Violence Shelter.
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Security
Currently, our building fails to offer enough security to fully protect our clients from their abusers. Our new space will give more safety and security to our intake and we will build additional layers of protection to give survivors the peace of mind they deserve.
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Comfort
When women and children escaping abuse arrive at our shelter, we want them to know that they are cared for, supported, and can be comfortable. Our new space will be built with their safety and well-being at the forefront. Our interior will be made to allow our clients relaxation and peace, which is lacking in our current facility.
