The Catholic charity St. Vincent de Paul announced Wednesday it will build a 40,000 square foot outreach center directly across the street from its current West End building on Bank Street near Winchell.
The new building will allow better access to services like its food pantry and charitable pharmacy. Right now, families have to come back on multiple days because the current Liz Carter Outreach Center is small.
Construction on the new building is expected to begin in the fall of 2018 with completion a year later.
The $12 million Upward Spiral Comprehensive Campaign, will fund the outreach center and support Hamilton County parish groups who help families in need.
Mike Dunn, executive director of St. Vincent de Paul, says the need is not going away. "Think of all the life experiences people have: job loss, divorce, fire, medical emergency. When people get in a bind and they can't make their payments for whatever it is, that's where St. Vincent de Paul steps in."
Dion Meadows needed a helping hand. When he got out of prison, St. Vincent de Paul helped him get a job at Busken Bakery. "They didn't just give me money, like here you go, your problems are solved. They gave me a job. The problems that I had, they shrunk it down to where I could fix it myself."
St. Vincent de Paul helped Meadows with his utility bills, his driver's license and getting his felony expunged.
The project is moving ahead despite some opposition from the West End community. As WVXU reported last year, West End resident David Peterson said, "This is good for the poverty industry. It's bad for the homeowners, businesses and residents in the West End."
