The Vision

The project is the complete renovation of WC&S's existing facility located in the Oakland/Shadyside area. The 38,465 square foot, three story facility was originally built as an automobile showroom. WC&S acquired the property in 1994 and after a complete renovation began occupancy in 1996. The facility houses WC&S's administrative staff, spaces for the non-resident counseling services, residential facilities for victims of intimate partner violence and a childcare program for toddlers, infants and teens whose mothers are clients at the facility. The facility currently has a 36 bed capacity for residents and their children and has been housing, on average, 39 to 40 women and children per day. On average, since 2008 WC&S has operated at 110% of occupancy. Year-to-date in the current fiscal, occupancy has jumped to 117% causing WC&S to turn away even more women and their children in critical need of shelter. Following is a 6 year trend analysis for shelter:

Fiscal Year	Shelter Women	Shelter Children	Shelter Nights	Turnaways
2013/2014	259	248	15,349	755
2012/2013	252	219	14,439	895
2011/2012	230	198	13,459	1,001
2010/2011	258	148	11,900	1,000
2009/2010	282	211	12,482	1,004
2008/2009	327	241	12,017	600

Injury caused by a person you have loved and trusted damages beliefs about oneself, other people and the world. For victims of intimate partner violence, the right environment can provide safety and security. It can build trust and help people reconnect with others. It can quite literally provide Shelter from the Storm and empower survivors and their children to begin to build a new life.

In addition to simply being large enough to meet the demand for service, renovation of the WC&S is at the forefront of current thinking regarding the environment, the relationship between people and buildings, the impact of trauma on individuals and communities and the role environmental design plays in rebuilding trust and healing. The proposed project replaces mechanical systems and equipment that are at the end of their life-cycle, increases the residential services capacity to 47 beds, enhances security, and reorganizes administrative and non-residential services to make greater use of the facility. Outdoor areas will be improved to support the children's activities in a safe and secure area, and overall lighting, parking and storm water systems will be upgraded. The approximately $11 million construction project will take place while maintaining occupancy in the building.

LEED

Since June 2014, the architects and designers at the Rothschild Doyno Collaborative and the staff of WC&S have grappled with every detail of renovating our existing facility. Most importantly, our facility renovations will provide a safer environment with ample open space and the capacity to have multiple areas for children and their mothers to interact during a time of extraordinary crises.

Design and construction also take into account our goal of LEED Certification. LEED certified buildings have a positive impact on the health of occupants, save money and resources and promote renewable, clean energy. We are confident that a silver rating can be achieved, and gold is not out of the question. Though this will be a LEED certified building, the building envelope isn't being modified, so energy savings will be minimal with no significant budgetary impact. Elements of internal comfort including; natural light, a direct visual connection to nature, fresh air and a balanced ambient temperature that's consistent across all environments, will be significantly impacted.

The Third Floor - Sanctuary Secured

Nothing is more important than the safety and security of the women and children we shelter. Our number one priority is to create a safe haven for our "guests," secure from intruders.

To that end, sanctuary space will be moved from part of the second floor to occupy the entire third floor -- an open, trusting, safe and secure environment. A subtle but powerful change will be to provide private, semi-private and public spaces. As women rebuild self-trust and trust in others, they can begin to demonstrate that trust by utilizing community space in the shelter.

Safety

• Separates the third floor from the rest of the building for increased physical security.
  
• Makes possible a secure and direct connection to nature.

Improvements

• Expands the number of beds from 36 to 47.
  
• Provides more space for staff to meet privately with moms.
  
• Provides better-integrated and more functional staff space.
  

Special Features

• Combines privacy with extended common areas to interact and build relationships.
  
• Adds a playroom with a visual connection to two intake rooms so moms new to shelter can watch their children safely play while their intake is being completed by staff.

The Second Floor – Centered Services

Our design reflects a warm, welcoming and accessible environment for the women and children we shelter, as well as the women we serve in non-resident programs. At the same time, it enhances the ability of staff to interact with clients.

One indicator of regaining trust in the community at large will be the utilization of "public" space on the first and second floors. Residents will have an opportunity to interact with non-resident clients, staff and visitors. These shared public "centering" spaces are designed to help women successfully transition from the sanctuary of shelter to community living.

Safety

• Creates a new entry sequence that enhances security and provides a more welcoming experience.
  
• Creates a secure and direct connection to nature.

Improvements

• Reconfigures the central stairs to better visually connect the first and second floors.
  
• Increases space for non-resident client services.
  
• Brings together the Direct Services and Administrative staff for more efficient utilization of space and shared support areas.
  
• Allows room for future staff growth.

Special Features

• Creates supportive, engaging and overlapping community areas to increase interaction by all.
  
• Add a Mother's Room for breastfeeding moms and changing facilities through the building.
  

The First Floor – Child Focused Environment

When we moved into our current building in 1996, we couldn't have foreseen that over the years children would become nearly 50 percent of the residents we shelter. We also couldn't have imagined how the internet and Wikimaps would virtually eliminate our ability to maintain a confidential location.

WC&S utilizes the Sanctuary Model with all of our clients to reduce the risk factors of exposure to domestic violence. This is especially critical for children as early intervention is the best way to ease the impact of exposure to domestic violence on a child's development. Practicing the Sanctuary Model helps children to get in touch with how they are feeling and ensures them that it always okay to ask for help. Children are engaged in Community Meetings led by staff and involving children of all ages. Depending on a child's age, children may either verbally express how they are feeling or point to a feeling chart to express their emotions.

This project engages the principals of Sanctuary with the Reggio Emilia Approach to create an expanded area for play and gross motor skill development, while also nurturing and helping to build emotional intelligence. The Reggio Emilia Approach is an educational philosophy focused on preschool and primary education. It was developed by Loris Malaguzzi, who was a teacher himself, and the parents of the villages around Reggio Emilia in Italy after World War II. After such a great and destructive event, people believed that children were in need of a new way of learning: the assumption was that people form their own personality during early years of development and, moreover, that children are endowed with "a hundred languages". The aim of this approach is teaching how to make them useful in everyday life. The program is based on the principles of respect, responsibility, and community through exploration and discovery in a supportive and enriching environment.

Along with providing child care, structured day-to-day activities, medical and dental updates, school assistance, pre-and after-school programming, and computer and arts activities, WC&S is constantly working on enhancing aspects of the Children's Program. For example, the Heinz Endowments help to fund our Children's Program pilot therapeutic garden project, aimed at teaching children how to interact with living things, reflect on the past and cope with emotions through gardening. The expansion of our outdoor garden will allow us to expand our Therapeutic Children's Garden Project to a broader horticultural therapy program for women and children.

Within the last few years the west wall of the children's playground has been violated by adult males on two occasions, requiring police intervention. On one occasion a troubled child climbed over the wall. This will be remedied with a high security wall decorated to blend into the therapeutic garden below.

WC&S also didn't foresee the need for indoor and outdoor space for pets, but pets are not immune to domestic violence. Batterers frequently threaten, injure, maim, or kill their partners or children's pets in conjunction with domestic abuse. Because victims understand the extent of the harm that their abusers will likely inflict upon their pets, many hesitate to leave violent relationships out of concern for the safety of their pets. When batterers abused victims, victims see the animal cruelty as part of a long history of violence aimed at them and their families. Recognizing this, WC&S is joining an increasing number of shelters who have added kennels or instituted "safe haven" animal foster care programs in an effort to protect victims, their children, and their pets.

Safety

• Improves security and safety at all access points and the perimeter.

Improvements

• Expands and improves Children's Program spaces.
  
• Connects indoor and outdoor children's spaces.

Special Features

• Provides a greater variety of activities for children of all ages.
  
• Moves training toilet and bathroom facilities into the children's space.
  
• Provides an area for pets.