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Grant Awarded For New Women’s Center
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| This is an artist’s rendering of a planned facility that will house the Yankton Women’s/Children’s Center and the Yankton Family Visitation Center. The entities recently secured an $865,000 grant to proceed with the project. (Illustration By Mannes Architects) |
Organizers Hope To Break Ground On Facility By September
By Nathan Johnson
nathan.johnson@yankton.net
The individuals involved with the Yankton Women’s/Children’s Center are accustomed to dealing with emergency situations with little or no notice.
But even they were caught off-guard recently by an unexpected development that presented them with a rare opportunity.
For the last three years, the board and employees of the Yankton Women’s/Children’s Center, who also oversee the Yankton Family Visitation Center, had been planning to build a new facility and were pursuing a Community Block Development Grant. Recently, however, Brian McGinnis of Planning and Development District III came across a South Dakota Neighborhood Stabilization Grant that would cover a larger portion of the expenses associated with such a project.
The problem? They only had days before the grant application was due.
McGinnis and the Women’s Center staff scrambled to meet the impending deadline, and were rewarded for their effort with an $865,000 grant.
“We were kind of in the right place at the right time with the right person who knew the right place to file the application,” said Sheila Woodward, treasurer of the Yankton Women’s/Children’s Center board. “That’s part of life, I think — being in the right place at the right time.”
The grant is actually a zero-interest loan and, if the center complies with its terms during the next 20 years, the loan will be forgiven. Woodward said the Women’s Center is still awaiting all the details from the South Dakota Housing Development Authority, which is administering the funds.
“It’s a federal program, so there are a lot of compliance issues,” she continued. “(McGinnis) has been fantastic with helping us through that process.”
The almost 6,000-square-foot facility will be built along Goeden Drive, just south of the Yankton Mall. Organizers say it is a more convenient location for their clientele because they will have better access to groceries and other amenities than the current downtown location offers. The larger building will offer more space for women and children who are victims of domestic violence, as well as families that need to use the Yankton Family Visitation Center, which provides a supervised environment for family visits and exchanges. The new structure will also be handicap-accessible and have more security features.
“It will allow us to put families together. If a mother comes in with four or five kids, there’s space for them in the same room,” said Desiree Slaba, executive director of the Women’s/Children’s Center. “With the Visitation Center, this will allow us to do more than one visit at a time instead of having to spread them out at different times throughout the whole day.”
However, organizers estimate they may have to come up with an additional $150,000-$200,000 through local fundraising to complete the project.
“(The grant is) not going to cover the furnishings we need, landscaping and some other things,” said Mary Lynn Mains, chairwoman of the Women’s/Children’s Center board. “It’s not a done deal where we’re handed everything.”
“We know fundraising is going to be difficult,” Woodward added. “But this community has been incredibly supportive of our mission for a long time. We’re confident we can do it.”
Because the money is being distributed as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, construction has to begin by the end of October. Woodward said the board hopes to begin moving dirt by the end of September.
“Hopefully, by the end of June or a little earlier next year, we’ll be in the new building,” she said.
The improvements can’t come soon enough, according to Slaba.
“We have served almost as many, if not more, clients from Jan. 1 to May 31 this year as we did throughout 2008,” she said.
“I’m most excited about being able to expand the services we’ll be able to provide. We will be able to more efficiently assist the clients we have, and spend more one-on-one time with them,” Slaba continued. “We’ll also have more office space. We do a lot of grant work, and it’s sprawled all over the office. This will allow us to be much more organized.”
More space also translates into more privacy for clients, Slaba said.
The sudden turn of events means the Women’s/Children’s Center board and staff will have a busy year, Woodward said.
“We still have a shelter and a visitation center to run,” she stated. “Between all of that, with the same amount of staff, we’ve got to build a new building. I would say that’s going to be the hardest part.”
The future of the current Women’s/Children’s Center and the Family Visitation Center is being worked out, Woodward said.
“We’re confident they will continue to serve the public in one way or another,” she said.
Mains said everyone is grateful the project came together so seamlessly.
“The board and the staff are very thankful we had strategic planning meetings and had prepared things for the block grant,” she said. “That laid the foundations for this grant when it came along.”
But even they were caught off-guard recently by an unexpected development that presented them with a rare opportunity.
For the last three years, the board and employees of the Yankton Women’s/Children’s Center, who also oversee the Yankton Family Visitation Center, had been planning to build a new facility and were pursuing a Community Block Development Grant. Recently, however, Brian McGinnis of Planning and Development District III came across a South Dakota Neighborhood Stabilization Grant that would cover a larger portion of the expenses associated with such a project.
The problem? They only had days before the grant application was due.
McGinnis and the Women’s Center staff scrambled to meet the impending deadline, and were rewarded for their effort with an $865,000 grant.
“We were kind of in the right place at the right time with the right person who knew the right place to file the application,” said Sheila Woodward, treasurer of the Yankton Women’s/Children’s Center board. “That’s part of life, I think — being in the right place at the right time.”
The grant is actually a zero-interest loan and, if the center complies with its terms during the next 20 years, the loan will be forgiven. Woodward said the Women’s Center is still awaiting all the details from the South Dakota Housing Development Authority, which is administering the funds.
“It’s a federal program, so there are a lot of compliance issues,” she continued. “(McGinnis) has been fantastic with helping us through that process.”
The almost 6,000-square-foot facility will be built along Goeden Drive, just south of the Yankton Mall. Organizers say it is a more convenient location for their clientele because they will have better access to groceries and other amenities than the current downtown location offers. The larger building will offer more space for women and children who are victims of domestic violence, as well as families that need to use the Yankton Family Visitation Center, which provides a supervised environment for family visits and exchanges. The new structure will also be handicap-accessible and have more security features.
“It will allow us to put families together. If a mother comes in with four or five kids, there’s space for them in the same room,” said Desiree Slaba, executive director of the Women’s/Children’s Center. “With the Visitation Center, this will allow us to do more than one visit at a time instead of having to spread them out at different times throughout the whole day.”
However, organizers estimate they may have to come up with an additional $150,000-$200,000 through local fundraising to complete the project.
“(The grant is) not going to cover the furnishings we need, landscaping and some other things,” said Mary Lynn Mains, chairwoman of the Women’s/Children’s Center board. “It’s not a done deal where we’re handed everything.”
“We know fundraising is going to be difficult,” Woodward added. “But this community has been incredibly supportive of our mission for a long time. We’re confident we can do it.”
Because the money is being distributed as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, construction has to begin by the end of October. Woodward said the board hopes to begin moving dirt by the end of September.
“Hopefully, by the end of June or a little earlier next year, we’ll be in the new building,” she said.
The improvements can’t come soon enough, according to Slaba.
“We have served almost as many, if not more, clients from Jan. 1 to May 31 this year as we did throughout 2008,” she said.
“I’m most excited about being able to expand the services we’ll be able to provide. We will be able to more efficiently assist the clients we have, and spend more one-on-one time with them,” Slaba continued. “We’ll also have more office space. We do a lot of grant work, and it’s sprawled all over the office. This will allow us to be much more organized.”
More space also translates into more privacy for clients, Slaba said.
The sudden turn of events means the Women’s/Children’s Center board and staff will have a busy year, Woodward said.
“We still have a shelter and a visitation center to run,” she stated. “Between all of that, with the same amount of staff, we’ve got to build a new building. I would say that’s going to be the hardest part.”
The future of the current Women’s/Children’s Center and the Family Visitation Center is being worked out, Woodward said.
“We’re confident they will continue to serve the public in one way or another,” she said.
Mains said everyone is grateful the project came together so seamlessly.
“The board and the staff are very thankful we had strategic planning meetings and had prepared things for the block grant,” she said. “That laid the foundations for this grant when it came along.”
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