Monday, community members celebrated the kick-off of a $1.85 million dollar remodel project on a former Eugene church that will provide housing to homeless teen girls. KLCC’s Rachael McDonald has more from what was called a “ground-shaking” with a musical theme.
There are roughly 400 homeless high school students in the Eugene-Springfield area who don’t always have a place to sleep at night. St Vincent de Paul of Lane County is renovating the former Cascade Presbyterian Church in south Eugene into housing for 13 teen girls.
St. Vinnie’s Paul Neville says they’re going to gut the building and re-build the inside.
Neville: “And put a beautiful commons room, real open ceilings, where the kids can come and be together and they’ll each also have very small, efficiency units, where they can go and be by themselves. Our rental agreement with kids is one thing: stay in school.”
Neville says the girls, aged 16 to 18, will be provided with secure housing, mentors, and case-workers. He says there has been support from neighbors, local schools and the wider community. They expect to have kids moving in this winter.
