Source: https://www.wane.com/
by Ethan Dahlen
When Hall’s Guesthouse Hotel closed in 2020, it wasn’t immediately clear what would occupy the building that calls 1313 W. Washington Center Road home.
Now, work is starting on a $16 million project that will give new life to the 80,000 square foot building.
“Today, we broke ground on a new building for the YWCA. It’s a big moment in history,” said Paula Hughes-Schuh, CEO of YWCA Northeast Indiana. “The YWCA is going to move across town and more than double the number of clients we can serve.”
Many of those clients are victims of domestic abuse who are looking for an escape.
The Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) unveiled its plans for the space at the groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday afternoon.
“We currently have 94 beds, [and] this building is going to let us stretch that to 244 beds, it’s amazing,” Hughes-Schuh said.
The project had some help getting off the ground from the City of Fort Wayne, which invested $10 million in federal new market tax credits alongside federal “HOME-ARP” funds totaling $1.75 million.
“One of the real pillars in our community is the YWCA,” said Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry at the groundbreaking ceremony. “We were able to assist the YWCA with a federal tax credit application where $10 million worth of federal tax credits became available plus some other grants.
A lot of work has yet to be done before the facility will become operational, and the exact date for its opening has not yet been given.
