Presbyterian Night Shelter to build women’s and children’s center

WOMEN & CHILDREN’S CENTER

Fort Worth’s Presbyterian Night Shelter announced plans for a new interim housing program at a 10 a.m. groundbreaking ceremony today.

Presbyterian Night Shelter officials are planning a campaign to raise $8.4 million to build a 30,000 square foot, mixed-use interim housing facility. The facility will be located at the corner of West Presidio Street and Poplar Street and be designed by Bennett Benner Partners.

Some funds have already been raised – $6.4 million to date, according to officials. At the groundbreaking, officials announced a JE and LE Mabee Foundation grant for $500,000 to start the campaign, and a call for fundraising to be completed by Jan. 22, 2016.

“Our new Women and Children’s Center is not another emergency shelter, but instead will be home to an innovative new interim housing program that will increase the quality, capacity and impact of support services we offer for women and children to move to stable, permanent housing,” said Toby Owen, chief executive officer of Presbyterian Night Shelter, in a news release.

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Night Shelter officials said that in 2014, the shelter served 635 homeless children and 305 homeless mothers in its current women and children’s facility. These numbers reflect a 60 percent increase for mothers and a 67 percent increase for children served when compared to 2013.

Highlights of the new transitional housing program at the Women & Children’s Center include:

• 40 dormitory-style residences.

• Increased capacity for women with children by 33 percent – from 30 families to 40 families.

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• Increased capacity for single women by 20 percent – from 130 to 156.

• Decreased length of stays by improving quality, capacity and impact of support services of community partners, including Cook Children’s Medical Center, Women’s Center of Tarrant County and Fort Worth Independent School District.

• Intensive programming that requires participation in an internship or vocational program, counseling, education, life skills training and access to  collaborative partner agencies.

• Decreased safety and security risks through 40 private rooms – up from 12 – and relocation from traffic and main shelter.

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• 1,000-square-foot retail space for a proposed social enterprise business that will provide internships, job training and revenue.

• Anticipated average client stay of 3 to 6 months.

• Dedicated office space for community partners

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