Not-for-profit relocating from Palatine to Inverness

Thanks to an anonymous $1 million donation, the Society for the Preservation of Human Dignity will soon relocate to more spacious quarters in Williamsburg Village in Inverness.

PHD is selling its 3,000-square-foot building at 37 N. Plum Grove Road in Palatine to software development firm FMR Systems, which is itself relocating from North Sterling Avenue.

The deal is expected to close on June 30, with PHD moving sometime in July.

"We've been operating here in a very, very tight space for probably the last five years," PHD Executive Director Catherine Vincus said. "We tried to find something in Palatine, but nothing that met our needs was available."

Founded in 1971, PHD is a not-for-profit agency that provides counseling, education and other support services to women who are pregnant or parenting young children.

Last year, PHD served 1,200 clients and had 8,200 client visits.

Given the nature of PHD's mission, Vincus said it's important for the people not to feel as though they're in a corporate environment. She described the new facility at 1610 Colonial Parkway in Inverness as having a homey feel, just like the single-family home where the organization currently resides.

Another benefit of moving is the new building is 10,000 square feet, allowing PHD to move its baby and maternity closet back on-site. The closet, and all of its clothing and supplies, had been moved to the resale boutique at 140 W. Northwest Hwy. to allow for more counseling rooms.

The resale space, which helps fund PHD operations, will expand into the closet area.

Vincus said she's surprised PHD is able to upgrade its headquarters in the midst of a recession, but said the anonymous benefactor couple specifically allocated the $1 million gift for housing when it was donated in 2008.

PHD also relies overwhelmingly on private donations instead of the government, though the organization did cut its budget to $895,000 from $950,000 last year.

As for the Palatine facility, councilmen questioned the amount of traffic FMR Systems would generate in the residential area. However, the owners said that clients don't visit and several of their 14 employees either commute on the Metra or work from home.