Gainesville domestic violence center seeks new home

By Nick Watson

Before the lease runs out on its Gainesville shelter, Gateway Domestic Violence Center announced Friday its plans to find a new facility with three times the capacity.

Executive Director Jessica Butler unveiled the campaign at the annual Gateway to Hope event at the Chattahoochee Country Club.

The Gainesville shelter was built to house 15 people in 1983, at a time when the county population was just above 80,000. As of July 2016, U.S. Census reports estimate roughly 196,000 Hall County residents.

“Today, we have 24 people in a shelter that was built for 15 and another family in a hotel,” Butler said.

Butler said the goal for the new shelter would be a minimum 15,000-square-facility in Gainesville that would be close to public transportation and job opportunities.

“We definitely want to increase our bedroom capacity, and our goal is to be able to get 40 to 45 beds in the new place,” she said.

To read the full article in The (Gainesville) Times, click here.