YWCA Greater New Orleans Celebrates Groundbreaking - New Orleans Tribune

State-of-the-art facility in Mid-City will bring back critical services for women, children, and families

A groundbreaking ceremony was held in early October at the site of the new YWCA facility in Mid-City, marking  a vital step in the return of crucial programs for women, children, and seniors in the Greater New Orleans area.  

In 2005 when Hurricane Katrina’s floodwaters destroyed the YWCA building, they also washed away the YWCA’s hallmark services, including domestic violence and rape crisis counseling, financial education, daycare, after-school programming, and other offerings to enrich youth and empower women. These programs had been an integral part of the YWCA’s contributions to the Greater New Orleans area since the chapter was founded over a century ago. 

The return of the YWCA has been a 17-year journey fueled by these determined volunteers. Through lengthy negotiations with FEMA, a grant from the state of Louisiana, support from Mayor Latoya Cantrell’s office and other fundraising efforts, the YWCA Board and volunteers managed to secure the funding needed for the $10 million construction budget for a new facility at the corner of South Norman C. Francis Parkway and D’Hemecourt Streets.