Hardlines Design Company (HDC) was selected by the YWCA to re-program and implement an initial phase of renovation for the YWCA Family Center, using a grant from Nationwide Insurance. The YWCA Family Center is a “front door” emergency shelter that is a nationally-recognized model. The facility provides housing, food, and social services to families for 90 days, at which time they are placed in more permanent housing. The facility has an administrative wing, dining room, offices for social services, three living wings with associated common areas, and a daycare center with associated exterior play area.
Since the center opened in 2006, the YWCA has determined that they no longer operate in the traditional “social work” manner. HDC held a series of stakeholder meetings with administrative staff, social work staff, custodial staff, and actual residents to discuss what could improve the use of the facility. HDC then prioritized the recommendations and developed cost estimates. Top priority projects include expanding the Children’s Library to encourage parents to read to their children, re-partitioning the residential wings to allow access to the common areas during the day, providing a more direct access to the daycare center, and improving security.