YWCA plans two phases of renovations to new home in former elementary school
YWCA Central Indiana is finalizing renovation plans for the former elementary school the organization bought in March. IPR’s Abby Urban reports on what new things the new space will bring.
Audio Transcript
Since 2012, the YWCA has offered emergency services to women and children in a historic building in downtown Muncie. But CEO Watasha Barnes Griffin says the location no longer works for the organization’s mission.
“Women who are in need who are happy with what they receive, they deserve more,” she says. “This building does not speak to equity – it’s dark, the lighting options are hard. We cannot serve women with dignity and privacy the way that they deserve in this current building.”
The new location at the former Garfield Elementary will offer more private spaces for the families inside and public spaces for community outreach. Groups like the League of Women Voters and Muncie OUTReach will still be housed in the new building. And Barnes Griffin wants to add new services.
“That is a promise neighborhood. How can we be a part of that?” she told the crowd at a local meeting Thursday night. “We want a library in there, we want a computer space. We want the community to be able to come in like they do now, into a separate entrance, and be able to do all those things.”
The organization has been looking for a new location for a while. In late 2024, it told the Muncie Redevelopment Commission its existing building on Charles Street needed significant repairs that were too expensive for the nonprofit.
Phase one is scheduled to be complete in 2028. Then, the organization plans a second phase that will work to connect the YWCA with more public services for the community.
Abby Urban is a news fellow with Ball State Public Media’s Public Media Accelerator student fellowships.
