Construction begins on City Mission’s new women’s shelter in Washington
Sally Mounts admitted that she had a moment of “heart attack level of surprise” when City Mission officials announced that the new women’s shelter being built in Washington will be named “Sally’s Sanctuary” after the nonprofit’s chief development officer.
“Sorry to hit you with that. Take a couple of deep breaths,” City Mission board member Walt Turner said after publicly announcing the shelter’s name during Thursday morning’s groundbreaking ceremony. “You’re very deserving of this.”
Mounts appeared to become emotional as she took to the lectern to speak and later shared a hug with City Mission’s former leader, Dean Gartland, as they grabbed a couple of gold-plated shovels to dig into the ground to ceremonially pave the way for construction.
“It’s the greatest honor in my life,” Mounts said after the groundbreaking.
But then she turned the gratitude around to the community and donors who have kept City Mission going for more than 80 years, and have helped to fund the nonprofit’s $7.1 million shelter that will be able to house up to 50 women a night.
“The wonderful people in this community have helped City Mission serve their homeless neighbors,” Mounts said.
Numerous dignitaries and community leaders showed up to support the City Mission for the ceremony to kick off construction on the 50-bed facility. Gartland noted that the nonprofit’s footprint has expanded over the last decade after putting together a master plan in 2014 on what the campus should look like heading into the future.
“This new building is the final piece of the puzzle of that master plan,” said Gartland, who retired in March. “The transformation at City Mission is very similar to the transformation we see in the people who come in.”
The new facility will replace the current 15-bed women’s shelter, meaning they will be able to house more women whose needs are often different than the men who come in looking for help. The building, which is expected to take a little more than a year to construct, will include child care space, a family sleeping unit, individual sleeping units, common areas similar to a living room and numerous bedrooms.
Diana Irey Vaughan, the longtime county commissioner who took over for Gartland as president and CEO, said they have to turn away nearly 60 women a month due to not having enough space. City Mission served 126 women last year, and that figure is expected to double once the new shelter opens next year.
“So today, we start a new narrative for City Mission,” Irey Vaughan said, adding that the facility will offer women food, shelter and the skills they need to be successful and independent. “This facility is a beacon of hope. It’s a light for the most vulnerable women in our community.”
City Mission is still continuing its fundraising effort for the shelter, which was boosted by a $500,000 grant from the state Department of Community and Economic Development presented at the ceremony by state Sen. Camera Bartolotta. The shelter also received a $500,000 grant from the county’s Local Share Account earlier this year after it was inexplicably removed from the list of recommended projects, only to be reinstated by the county commissioners during their March 21 meeting.
“We are at the very top of the ladder with funding. We’re going to get it done,” Turner said in his remarks. “It’s going to be a much better place for people here.”