NEWS & EVENTS
YWCA OF ROANOKE VALLEY, DEPAUL COMMUNITY RESOURCES TO MERGE
DePaul Community Resources to be recipient of YWCA assets, will enhance services for women & children
Roanoke, Va. (May 2, 2011) – The YWCA of Roanoke Valley announced today plans to merge with DePaul Community Resources, a Roanoke-based nonprofit serving children, adults and families with special needs. In doing so, the YWCA will transfer its assets to DePaul and disaffiliate from the national YWCA. The transition will be made effective late summer or early fall of 2011.
The collaboration is an effort to more effectively utilize donor contributions and allocate resources in the community that better meet the needs of women, children and their families – a mission shared by both DePaul and the YWCA.
According to Nadia Summo, President of the Board of Directors for the YWCA of Roanoke Valley, over the past several years the YWCA operated nearly exclusively as a homeless shelter and has seen a decline in bed utilization rates for that purpose, a reflection of the number of organizations in Roanoke offering similar services. Summo says that by exiting the transitional and emergency shelter programming, the current government funding granted to the YWCA for this purpose can be reallocated to other area shelters who are better equipped to more efficiently use these funds to make an impact.
“The YWCA has a proud history of human services addressing homelessness for women in the Roanoke Valley,” says Summo. “Throughout this history, the community has entrusted us with a responsibility to be the best stewards we can be of funding and resources that allow these services to continue. However, we live in a completely different world than we did 100 years ago, and part of being a good steward is knowing when change is necessary.”
The decision was unanimous to select DePaul Community Resources to be the recipient of the YWCA’s assets as well as the proceeds from the sale of the current YWCA facility located at 605 First Street in Roanoke, which is now on the market. The architecturally distinct building, located in Roanoke’s historic district and enterprise zone, is in need of major renovations and restoration.
“We strongly believe this collaboration is a positive step towards addressing quality of life issues for women, children, families, and individuals with disabilities throughout Roanoke. It is the right move,” adds Summo. “This transition is made in the spirit of partnership, and we hope we’re fostering this spirit throughout the entire nonprofit community. Sometimes a mission can be better met by making a change.”
“We have tremendous admiration for the accomplishments of the YWCA,” says Greg Withers, President of the Board of Directors for DePaul Community Resources. “While we recognize that this was a difficult decision, we are grateful for the opportunity. The collaboration with the YWCA will be a tremendous boost to our own programming, allowing us to better serve our constituents and continue the mission of a well-respected institution. To ensure continuity, we are excited to welcome two YWCA board members, Nadia Summo and Tammie Yarter, to DePaul Community Resources’ board. ”
DePaul has had a community presence throughout Southwest Virginia since 1977. Currently, DePaul focuses in four core areas: Treatment Foster Care, Development Disabilities, Clinical Services and Adoption.
“We are fortunate to be extremely financially stable, which puts us in a position to say that the assets we receive as part of this collaboration will be used to enhance programs and services, not overhead,” continues Withers.
Over the next two months, the YWCA will be working directly with its constituents, as well as other nonprofits and organizations throughout the region, to ensure a smooth transition and all needs are met.
“We are working with area shelters and agencies that work with the homeless population, such as Trust House and member agencies of the Continuum of Care to guarantee that the women and children who currently reside in our facility have a place to go. The wellbeing of our Y family is our top priority,” says Summo.
To learn more about DePaul Community Resources, visit www.depaulcr.org or call 540.265.8923.