Abby’s House announces $2 million capital campaign for renovations

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Abby’s House announces $2 million capital campaign for renovations
Abby’s House Founder Annette Rafferty (l) and Lt. Governor Karyn Polito kick off the capital campaign.  (Photo/submitted)

Region – Abby’s House, a nonprofit organization serving women and their children, recently announced the public phase of their $2 million capital campaign to renovate their building at 52 High St. in Worcester during a breakfast held there Oct. 25.

The four-story building is home to 54 single room occupancy residential units, common spaces, a women’s center, professional kitchen, thrift shop, and administrative offices.

Constructed in the 1920s, the building has remained largely unaltered for over 90 years. The renovation will include updates to plumbing, HVAC, electrical, life safety, and security systems. There will also be significant work done to make the building accessible for elderly, handicapped, and injured residents by installing an elevator, converting one bedroom on each floor for complete handicapped accessibility, and adding full kitchens and laundry facilities on each residential floor.

“Abby’s House is part of the safety net here in this city – in this region – that helps women, in particular, get to that better place,” Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito said in her speech at the kickoff event. “Today, we highlight something that is working quite well in our commonwealth – something that we are very proud of, and our investments today signal that we want to continue to see not only this program work but to see more of this type of program throughout our communities in our commonwealth.”

More than 80 people attended the event to hear about the project, tour the building, and learn about the impact Abby’s House has on the women and children they serve. Stephanie Page, Abby’s House executive director, led off the program with an announcement that the organization had already raised $1.1 million of their $2 million goal and stressed the importance of the community’s support in reaching their goal.

“With the community’s involvement in the Opening Doors and Transforming Lives campaign here at Abby’s House, so many more women from throughout the region will have these doors to walk through and find the comforts of a home and the warmth and hospitality of Abby’s for many, many, many years to come,” she said. “Women and children need us to dream together and to make this dream possible for them.”

Since 1976, Abby’s House has provided shelter, housing and advocacy to 13,000 homeless, battered, and low-income women and children. Abby’s House is dedicated to empowering women to lead self-directed lives filled with dignity and hope. To learn more about Abby’s House, visit www.abbyshouse.org.

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