On Wednesday, September 24th, City Mission hosted a Ribbon-cutting event to celebrate the Grand Opening of Sally’s Sanctuary, a newly-constructed homeless shelter, which will open its doors to homeless women in October.
In January of 2023, City Mission began a fundraising campaign to construct a 50-bed women shelter on their existing campus. This new space will increase the Mission’s capacity to serve homeless women by 35 additional beds. Partnering with Mosites Construction and Rothschild-Doyno Collaborative, the Mission worked to develop a safe, welcoming space, incorporating trauma-informed design to maximize the healing impact on those seeking shelter. The $8.3 million facility consists of three floors and includes multiple suites, an emergency shelter, laundry rooms, common areas, office space, and a large childcare center.
From 2023-2024, in the United States, there was a 26% increase in sheltered homeless women, which contributed to record-high homelessness numbers across the country this past year. City Mission has also been tracking a rising need among women within the local community over the past few years. A needs assessment study, which the Mission conducted in 2022, found that local business owners, human services employees, and public officials identified a new women’s shelter as one of the most pressing needs in our area. Sally’s Sanctuary is the Mission’s response to that urgent need…