Graham Area Crisis Center on the move

The Graham Area Crisis Center will be moving their shelter to the former Steer Bowl bowling alley, at 1444 Fourth St, after completions of renovations to the building. The organization held an open house at the property Thursday, Sept. 12.

The center is currently located in the old Young County Jail building at 503 Second St. Executive Director Don Oldfield said the center moved to the county owned property 35 years ago, which was supposed to be a temporary fix.

“We started looking (for a new place) about four years ago,” Graham Area Crisis Center Board President Joanie Edwards said. “We didn’t know if we were going to build or if we going to find an existing location.”

She said David and Melissa York donated the 11,000 square ft. building. The organization plans to renovate the building to include eight rooms for families, an apartment for the shelter manager, an office for Oldfield, a business office for the women and a kitchen for food preparation. The renovation will be overseen by architect Mike Koen, of Wichita Falls.

“This is a dream of (Oldfield’s) that he has seen (through,)” Edwards said. “I remember him talking about this back when I was at the shelter (25 years ago) getting counseling. We talked about the building.”

She said some of the concerns with the Second Street location include that it is not wheelchair accessible and cannot be retrofitted for an elevator. They also hope to bring in new programs including furthering education and a volunteer group to work with and mentor the women.

Edwards said she came through the crisis center 25 years ago as a homeless women with two children which inspired her to write the book ‘’God At The Intersection.” The book title served as the inspiration for the name of the new shelter, The Intersection a ministry of the Graham Area Crisis Center.

“We are a short-term emergency shelter for, primarily, battered women and their children,” Oldfield said. “Short-term meaning most of them are going to be there for three to five to seven days. What we try to get them doing immediately, is coming up with a plan on how they are going to move forward because this is not the end answer for them. We can’t be that.”

He added that many of the women who come through the center do not have vehicles and most have children. He also said that the center averages at least 750 nights of lodging a year.

“People that come through the crisis center are not always from here,” Edwards said. “They are going to be from other towns, other places, they are seeking rescue. So we help people out of area and in area.”

Oldfield and the crisis center also help run the Graham Community Food Pantry and a utilities benevolence fund partnered with local churches. The board president said she hopes to be able to plan annual fundraisers to help pay for their expenses.

For the rest of the story, see the Saturday, Sept. 14 edition of The Graham Leader.