Lazarus House exceeds capital campaign goal to purchase, improve St. Charles facility

On any given morning, women and children staying in the Lazarus House shelter wake up, leave the building at 214 Walnut St. and make their way across the street to a historic house in downtown St. Charles.

For 12 years, the estimated 800-square-foot structure has been home to the Women and Children's Day Center, a secured living environment away from the shelter's male guests. The space is broken up into small rooms and tight hallways - quaint, but not quite suitable for large groups of kids and their mothers to spend their days, Executive Director Leanne Deister-Goodwin said.

Starting later this month, those guests will have a new and improved safe haven in the same facility as all other Lazarus House programs. And it's largely thanks to a capital campaign that has generated just shy of $2 million.

"It's a more usable space. It's more homelike," Deister-Goodwin said. "We're going to be able to offer more services, in a way, because we're all under one roof."

In October 2017, Lazarus House bought the entire Walnut Street building, which previously was partially rented and shared with a church. Organization leaders later hired a consultant and set a goal of raising $1.7 million to pay off the mortgage and fund some renovations. Their hope was to eventually house all operations in one building.

That capital campaign goal was exceeded this summer, Deister-Goodwin said, and the shelter is now seeing the fruit of the community's generosity.

The Women and Children's Day Center will soon be relocated to 2,300 square feet in the Lazarus House's lower level, meaning guests won't have to leave the building to get from their sleeping room to daily living quarters, she said.

The recently renovated space contains a children's play area, updated bathrooms with showers and a bathtub, two sets of washers and dryers, and a kitchen and dining area. Doors will open to a fenced-in outdoor play space for kids, Deister-Goodwin said, though those improvements likely won't be finished until the spring.

An adjacent fellowship hall, typically used for community-focused events, will occasionally be transformed into a space for yoga, video gaming and other guest-oriented programming, she said.

"That'll just allow for more life to take place," she said, "to put some fun in the house."

Another updated section of the building's lower level now houses the organization's administrative offices, as well as its rental and utility assistance programs. Those staff members previously worked across the street in a second house owned by Lazarus House. Both external properties are expected to be put up for sale.

"All under one roof from a guest's perspective? Massive," Deister-Goodwin said. "All under one roof from an employee perspective? That's another layer of safety for my staff."

Additionally, a new front office with a window was installed at the building's main entrance to increase security, she said, noting it will be staffed daily during the shelter's busiest times from 1 to 9 p.m.

The renovations began in the spring after the church moved out of the building, Deister-Goodwin said. Some final adjustments are still being made, she said, but the bulk of the work is complete - and it's all paid for.

As of Thursday, 140 donors had given to the capital campaign, with an average gift of more than $14,000.

"Lazarus House through the years has been a beacon of hope for those who have fallen on difficult times," said Dr. John Mason, co-chairman of the campaign. "The Tri-City communities have responded positively to the financial needs required by Lazarus House to enhance its mission."