Woman has vision for shelter

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March 12, 2010

BY JENNIFER BAILEY The Commercial-News Fri Mar 12, 2010, 05:00 AM CST

DANVILLE — Holiday Hills resident Vanessa Givan has a vision for the old boarded-up nursing home on the north side of the subdivision behind Holiday Hills Free Methodist Church.

She can already picture her organization’s name, Unchanging Hands, on the outside of the building, and the sun shining through the windows, free of the ugly boards.

But there are a lot of steps and funds needed to get to that point.

Givan has talked to city officials and the Holiday Hills Neighborhood Association about her hopes to open a shelter for young women who are runaways and/or have dealt with issues such as substance abuse and homelessness.

City officials estimated it will take about $500,000 to renovate the long vacant building, she said.

Givan is originally from Chicago, but has lived in Holiday Hills for almost a year now. She grew up in the impoverished Englewood neighborhood in Chicago.

“I used to stay here a lot,” she said. Other relatives live in Danville.

Her children, Terrance Givan, 7, and Thomas Carpenter, 14, also would stay here in the summertime.

“I believe (Danville) is a good community,” Givan said.

Every time she’d drive by the boarded-up building, she thought it’d be perfect for her proposed shelter.

“I got a vision,” she said.

“My motivation and inspiration are from a higher power,” she said about her religious faith.

She believes in giving.

Givan said growing up, her mom’s house was an open house for people to stay. The idea for a young women’s shelter originated from her mom’s home.

“I plan to house 13-to-18-years olds,” Givan said.

She’d like the shelter to house about 15 female juveniles.

She’s already attained 501(c)(3) status for her organization, as a tax-exempt, nonprofit corporation or association.

“Obstacles are not an option right now,” Givan said, and that includes fear.

She envisions the shelter to have individual rooms, but a kitchen and shared dining room area to share life experiences. Givan said more shelter space and support systems are needed in the city for young women.

Givan, who is pursuing her criminal justice degree, will commit time to this project.

“I take this very seriously. I have a passion in my heart,” she said.

“I’ve lived it (growing up in an impoverished neighborhood); I know what it’s about,” she added.

She’d like to have a restorative event for the community in support of her organization. Persons could give her advice and suggestions.

She’d also like to look back one day on a job well done.

Danville Public Development Director John Heckler said city officials have met with Givan and discussed the use of the building, bringing it up to code, the scope of the project, zoning and financing.

He didn’t want to make any comments about the project until receiving more specific information.

Greg Shepherd, president of the Holiday Hills Neighborhood Association, said the decrepit, old nursing home building has always been “a thorn in our sides,” and the neighborhood group would like to see anything done with it.

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