The city’s newest transitional housing site will open this week.

First House is a partnership between the YWCA of Jamestown and First Lutheran Church that will provide women, and their children, with a safe and stable location in the former First Lutheran Church parsonage. It’s a good partnership that reuses a 124-year-old former church parsonage. Unlike temporary shelters, residents may stay in the program for a maximum of two years while they become self-sufficient, productive citizens of the community. Individuals will be guided to seek support, healthcare, education and/or job training as needed from professionals and agencies in the community.

“This project is about more than housing, it’s about creating opportunity, safety, and a path forward,” said Krisit Ternullo, director of programs at YWCA Jamestown. “Through partnership and community investment, First House will provide a foundation for individuals to rebuild and thrive.”

First House will be the second such site to open in the past year, following the Hope Haven Women’s Center, an 18-bed facility that includes 12 independent apartments on Lafayette Street. The center is designed to meet the unique needs of women facing homelessness, offering a variety of services, including emergency shelter, case management, housing assistance and access to community resources.

A third facility is working its way through the approval process. The UCAN City Mission will appear before the city Planning Commission in February for consideration of its plan to turn part of the former Jamestown Business College campus into a women and children’s shelter. Classrooms will be converted into smaller bedroom spaces, while things like the staircase and fireplace will remain. Bedroom wise, Cooke said there will be one on the first floor with seven rooms on the second, along with bathrooms on each. The plan is for the rooms to not be shared, with one each for a woman and her children.

For too long Jamestown has struggled to provide the type of space needed for women and children who find themselves on the verge of homelessness or who need safe housing after domestic violence incidents. Opening First House is the next step toward meeting a need for women and children in the community. It’s heartening to see non-profits step up to fill this void.