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LOCAL SPOTLIGHT: YWCA of Pierce County
YWCA Pierce County was initially founded in 1906, but purchased and moved to its current location in 1928 as a place for "the women and
girls of Pierce County to recreate, to live on a temporary basis, and a place to gather."
Today it has grown into one of the most successful women's shelters in the country, with the capacity to house 50 individuals at a time. Not only does this facility allow women to escape with their children from abusive domestic situations, the YWCA of Pierce County became the first shelter in Washington State to allow pets. Currently there are only five facilities in the entire United States who have accommodations for animals.
Today, the YWCA is taking another step as one of the leaders in the nonprofit community. They recently decided to move their facilities to a new location that would increase their available housing by 50%, while also creating a more comfortable living environment for women, their children and pets. In the current location, rooms average a size of 97 square feet. In these small spaces a mother could be housed with up to three children and all their possessions.
Bathrooms and showers are all communal, with only one tub to share among all children living in the shelter. The kitchens are also a communal space, with each having a designated cupboard and each family having the option to store their refrigerated goods in a small locked basket. Yet, despite these cramped quarters, the shelter residents are grateful for a safe space to live, explains Ms. Kelly McDonald, the Marketing and Events Manager at the YWCA. "Talking with clients and trying to see what a bigger space would do for them, we realized nobody wants to complain about the current shelter. They are so grateful for the safety we are able to provide them and for the support that we offer throughout their stay that it's difficult to get them to say anything negative."
With the purchase and remodeling of the new location, the YWCA hopes to help these women begin new lives. One of the shelter residents spoke about how the YWCA changed her life. "For nine years my self confidence, my anything was beaten down, way down to where forms were put in front of me and he filled them out. When forms were put in front of me here they had fill it out for me because I didn't know how." After spending time healing at the YWCA shelter she has a new outlook. "My family is hopeful. There is a light. Before I even left I could see my future, I could see where after schooling I can have a good job. I can feel the grasp of having a job and its not even here yet."
A shelter employee emphasized the need for the new shelter."We need a space that can accommodate all types of families. A place for children to play, places for teenagers to do homework... [which are] some things that we can't address at the current shelter. These are all things that would really help us do a better job in keeping not only the women and children that come here safe, but also helping them feel comfortable, providing them with help for their future life."
Less than a block away from their current shelter the YWCA is remodeling an old vintage apartment building in order to create a place where women can live in their own apartments. Impact Capital put the first dollars into the YWCA project with a phase one pre-development loan of $75,000. This allowed YWCA's leadership team to put together a plan of action for their eventual purchase of the Wilsonion Apartments.
In December of 2008, Impact Capital gave the YWCA another loan, this time an acquisition loan for $549,702 to purchase the Wilsonion Apartments property. As Ms. McDonald explains, "We wouldn't have been able to do it. We needed to make these definitive decisions and everything had to happen quickly. It was as if all the stars aligned and Impact Capital was a piece of that puzzle, in terms of having that money available to us right at the prime moment. If we hadn't had that money available, I don't think the Board would have been as amenable to the purchase."
The new building has a variety of apartment styles ranging from studios for single women up to multi-bedroom apartments with the capacity to hold a nine person family or be transformed into an apartment for multiple single women. The new facility will allow for each woman to have a private kitchen and bathroom. "It will give people a chance to act like a family, to sit at the table together, and not have to share family time with 50 other people who are also going through tough times," says one shelter resident talking about what the new space will provide. Another commented that, "when women find out they can have their own apartment, they will be encouraged to seek help. Living in a shelter seems so hard that many people might not leave [the abuse]."But most importantly, it creates a peaceful environment where healing can begin.
The difference the Wilsonion will make |
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On the right, view from the entry of a family living space in the current facility.
On the left, one of the new living spaces in the Wilsonion.
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