YWCA Rhode Island acquires Nickerson Community Center

YWCA RHODE ISLAND has acquired the Nickerson Community Center in the Olneyville section of the city.
YWCA RHODE ISLAND has acquired the Nickerson Community Center in the Olneyville section of the city.

PROVIDENCE – YWCA Rhode Island has acquired the Nickerson Community Center in the Olneyville section of the city.

YWCA of Rhode Island, which is based in Woonsocket, said that the acquisition represents a major expansion of its properties and services.

The purchase comprises the 32,000-square-foot community center at 133 Delaine St. in Olneyville; Camp Hamilton, a 50-acre property in Coventry; and a 50-bed shelter for homeless veterans at 164-154 Delaine St., according to Deborah Perry, president and CEO of YWCA.

Perry said the property was purchased for $400,000, and that the YWCA plans to put another $300,000 worth of improvements into the facility, which will now be called the YWCA Community Center.

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Existing services at Nickerson, which was founded in 1884, will be continued and enhanced, including child care, before- and after-school programs, and summer activities for children, Perry said. Child care will be provided by Dr. Day Care Learning Center, a private, licensed and nationally accredited child care business, which will lease space at the center, she said.

Since September 2013, the community center has housed the main campus of YWCA’s Sheila “Skip” Nowell Leadership Academy, a charter school for pregnant and parenting teens and other non-traditional students, which also opened a branch in Central Falls in October 2013.

According to the release, YWCA became concerned about keeping its charter school at Nickerson when financial problems began threatening the center’s future.

Perry, also chair of the academy, began serving as a consultant to the Nickerson board of directors in January 2014.

Working with a $50,000 grant from the United Way, the YWCA hired Barbara Sokoloff Associates, a development and community planning firm, to help Nickerson find a solution to its financial issues. Non-Profit Solutions, a nonprofit that assists in mergers and acquisitions, also provided a $10,000 grant to assists with closing fees.

Santander Bank supported the transaction with a $1.05 million in-kind donation through its Community Development Program; the donation was used to forgive existing debt on the property, Perry said.

The bank’s contribution provided the “financial foundation” for the acquisition and sale, and was instrumental in providing the YWCA of Rhode Island the chance to continue to serve the Olneyville community, the release said.

“These organizations are community assets and will be able to serve more children and families by joining together and combining services,” Mike Lee, a managing director and executive management committee member at Santander, said in a statement. “By making this investment, we can help support the important programs these organizations provide to local residents in need.”

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