Jamestown is making progress in creating places for those who need a helping hand.

Recently, the Salvation Army held a ceremonial groundbreaking for a $5.7 million project, which will create a 7-unit, 19-bed temporary housing shelter. The new shelter will also offer counseling services, legal assistance, and educational programs to support survivors of domestic violence. There has long been a need for expanded services for domestic violence survivors, and it’s encouraging after years of looking for a site that one has been found so work can begin.

A year ago during Domestic Violence Month we advocated for a new site to support survivors of domestic violence. It’s encouraging that a year later a site has been found and funding secured.

It’s the latest in a series of efforts to increase the services available to those who need short-term shelter in the Jamestown area. Chautauqua Opportunities recently opened an 18 bedroom women’s shelter on Jefferson Street to help homeless women – the first such shelter in the city. The UCAN ministry is working to open an expanded emergency shelter for women and children in half of the former Jamestown Business College campus. And, last winter, Recovery Options Made Easy operated a Code Blue shelter on Washington Street.

Many of these developments have been in the works for some time, so it’s encouraging to see this much progress happening at the same time. The community has been calling for additional services for both the homeless and for domestic violence victims. Those calls are being answered – perhaps not in the way some wanted them answered, but answered nonetheless.

The only thing better, in our opinion, would be not needing these types of shelters in the first place.