WINGS shelter almost ready to opens its doors

An emergency shelter for women and children in the Northwest suburbs will be dedicated today in Rolling Meadows, thanks to the generosity of a builder and 110 suppliers to the building industry.

The 15,000-square-foot WINGS Safe House will provide temporary housing for 48 victims of domestic violence. WINGS stands for Women in Need Growing Stronger, and serves the Northwest and North suburbs of Cook County.

Because the shelter is designed for families in crisis, the location is not publicized and today's ribbon cutting is by invitation only.

Builder Kimball Hill and contractors worked on the shelter under the auspices of HomeAid Chicago, the official charity of the Home Builders Association of Greater Chicago.

Sue Jacobs paints a mural in the activity room of the Wings House

They donated a total of $725,000 in goods and services toward the building. The total cost of the building is estimated at $1.7 million plus equipment and furnishings. Other individuals, groups and companies have donated as well.

WINGS' clients are expected to start living in the safe house sometime in November.

However, a delay in $675,000 of the $875,000 construction money promised by the state could delay the opening. WINGS has had to use funds raised for furnishings and operations for construction, said Rebecca Darr, executive director.

This is only the third domestic violence shelter in suburban Cook County, she said. The other two are in Evanston and Tinley Park.

The need in this area is proved by support from local communities, she said, including Schaumburg and Arlington Heights, which each donated $50,000 to the project.

In Illinois in 2000, 18,500 women and children were turned away from domestic violence shelters because of a lack of space, Darr said.

A mural in the activity room by Sue Jacobs of South Barrington and other volunteers from the Windy Brushes chapter of Decorative Painters tries to give the shelter a homey feeling.

Birds, butterflies, fairies and airplanes - things with wings - decorate the blue walls and ceiling with fluffy clouds.

The rear yard also has a playground donated by United Parcel Service.

Volunteers will install some wallpaper in the home, but codes and the realities of a building where almost 50 people can live together demand institutional features.

Drinking fountains, elevators, and metal and concrete staircases are on this list.

However, the most institutional room - the kitchen - fits with today's penchant for stainless steel and restaurant-grade appliances.

The huge range has two ovens and a hood with a system for smothering fires.

A two-piece stainless steel refrigerated salad bar also is impressive. It can be filled in the kitchen and rolled into the dining room and plugged in to keep food cool.

The walk-in refrigerator has a door inside to the walk-in freezer.

Sinks are everywhere in this kitchen - a triple one on one side, a double sink opposite it and in between one for hand washing.

The countertops are Corian man-made marble and the cabinets are oak.

While the clients will be responsible for keeping the home clean, a professional cook will run the kitchen for safety and health reasons and to prevent wear and tear on the equipment, said Rita Canning, WINGS board president.

Near the reception area that will be staffed 24 hours are rooms where clients can meet with attorneys or relatives. These spaces are outside a locked door to the residence.

The first floor has the public rooms, a few bedrooms for people who have just arrived and offices. There is even a smoking room with special ventilation.

A computer room in the basement shows how dependent students' homework and parents' job searches have become on the Internet.

This level also has counseling rooms, a nursing station and a laundry.

Seven bedrooms of different sizes dominate the second floor. Not only will a mother share a room with her children, but two families might be in a room together, said Jennifer Djordjevic, WINGS' director of public relations.

The list of items needed for such a facility is almost overwhelming. For example, Sealy is donating mattresses, and Walter E. Smithe is giving furniture for the living room and dining area.

Seven furnaces will heat the space, and the same number of air conditioners cool it.

Most impressive are the two 100-gallon hot water heaters and the 100-gallon storage tank.

The constantly circulating system will heat 700 gallons every hour, said Scott Bretthauer, construction manager whose time was donated by Kimball Hill.

The home also has sprinklers in case of fire and security systems for fire and intruders.

Working with volunteers added to the length of the construction process, Bretthauer said. The groundbreaking was Oct. 3, 2003.

"All the trades are busy now," he said. "I'd call them and say 'Remember, you said you'd do this.' We were trying to get people to work around their schedules. The schedule we had at the beginning was off by six months."

Women and families will be able to stay in the safe house for about a month before moving into transitional housing or some other choice.

"When we get the domestic violence shelter full, I worry about what we will do if we don't have room for the families in transitional house," Canning said.

"I hope that doesn't happen, but I know it will."

Canning said she and Darr used information from shelters in Elgin and Waukegan to design the home.

"What I did want and I love about it are all the windows in the house," Canning said. "I love the sunshine pouring in. We want a building that looks like home, a soft, warm fuzzy home."

Agency helps women in need

WINGS gets 200 calls a month from families seeking some kinds of assistance, said Jennifer Djordjevic, WINGS' director of public relations. Not all involve domestic violence.

However, 75 percent of the women the organization helps have some sort of violence in their history, she said.

Some families who seek help are intact, but others have financial troubles because of divorce or death, she said.

Besides financial help the agency provides counseling and helps women get further education to improve their earning ability.

The agency also provides 19 apartments and three single-family homes for families in transition. The housing area ranges from Barrington to Skokie, Djordjevic said.

- Deborah Donovan

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