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Building Materials Making a Difference
Women's Shelter Gets an Extreme Makeover
In April, World Vision and numerous partners transformed Tabitha House during an "extreme makeover." The Storehouse of World Vision in Chicago, with lots of help from individual and corporate partners, renovated three rooms in Tabitha House, a homeless shelter for women and children on the West Side of the city. Tabitha House provides emergency housing for women and children fleeing desperate situations. Since 1975, Tabitha House has cared for thousands of women and children, offering supportive care and spiritual enrichment classes to empower their residents to be self-sufficient.
Tabitha House accepts no public money, and relies completely on the generosity of donors and churches. It was in tremendous need of renovation, but such large-scale projects were not financially possible. Mother Lula Walker, President and CEO of Tabitha House, said, "We are overwhelmed by the kindness and generosity of the individuals and organizations that are making this exciting project a reality."
In three days of around-the-clock work, Tabitha House saw the demolition and construction of a new kitchen, bathroom, and playroom. All of the labor, equipment, fixtures, and supplies were donated by partner organizations and individuals including The Mitchell Swaback Foundation, The Leopardo Charitable Foundation, deGiulio Kitchen Design, Merchandise Mart, Just Rite Acoustics, and Grohe America.
The kitchen in Tabitha House was falling apart before the renovations—the floor was crooked and had a large hole in it, there was very little storage space, and the appliances were old and rusty. Now the women of Tabitha House are excited to cook in such a new, clean kitchen. At the unveiling, Lula Walker said, "Oh, I can't believe what they did in three days. It's so much." The women who live in Tabitha House were ecstatic when they saw the changes. They couldn't believe that it was even the same space. They were especially excited about the playroom because their children needed a place space other than the hallway. The new playroom came equipped with toys, games, and a computer.
World Vision will continue a partnership with The Mitchell Swaback Foundation and The Leopardo Charitable Foundation to renovate Tabitha House in its entirety. These foundations were so excited about the makeover that they wanted to do more. All of the common areas and 24 bedrooms will receive a face-lift in the coming months.
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