By Rick Forgione<br><a href="mailto:forgioner@gnnewspaper.com">E-mail Rick</a>
A set of long-vacant storefronts on Main Street have been purchased by Family & Children’s Service of Niagara, Inc. and will soon be turned into a one-stop family center.
The nonprofit countywide agency held a ceremony Thursday morning to officially announce the acquisition of properties at 1518 and 1522 Main St. Renovation work will begin at the adjoined sites in the upcoming months as part of a $2.2 million capital project.
Upon completion, the new facility will serve as the new home office of the agency and will bring together 60 staff members who are currently disbursed in five locations across a 10 block area in Niagara Falls. It will also combine multiple services under one roof to benefit clients and assist employees in communication and the coordination of services between different program areas, said Kenneth Sass, president and CEO of Family & Children’s.
The agency, which has been located in Niagara Falls since 1895, offers 17 programs including family counseling, domestic violence and youth runaway support, mental health assistance and child abuse prevention. During a presentation made to the City Council in April, Sass said 2,900 families were helped last year, including 1,750 from Niagara Falls.
Councilmembers approved a city contribution of $250,000 for the redevelopment project, which is being publicly and privately financed. Other funding partners lined up so far include The Grigg-Lewis Foundation, state Sen. George Maziarz, Assemblywoman Francine DelMonte and Assemblyman Robin Schimminger.
The new building, located just down the road from the new municipal safety complex under construction, is now in the engineering and design phase, said Jennifer Tresch, director of development for the agency. Reconstruction work will begin by early next year and the facility should be operational by the following fall, she added.
Mayor Paul Dyster was among the elected officials attending Thursday’s ceremony. He said the project fits within the strategy to resurrect Main Street and will bring together 60 employees who will become potential customers to the surrounding businesses.
While the project will consolidate services from five locations, Family & Children’s will continue to operate two emergency shelters in Niagara Falls: Casey House for homeless and runaway youth and Passage House for victims of domestic violence. In addition, offices will remain in Lockport and North Tonawanda as well as family resource centers in Niagara Falls and in the Lockport, Newfane and Royalton-Hartland school districts.
The agency currently has 95 staff members in 13 location across the county.
