In April of this year, we began our project of turning an abandoned behavioral health hospital into Crossroads Village, a functional, beautiful, and inspiring space for the women of Albuquerque. In our last update, we talked about the funders who made this project possible, and just days after sending out our previous newsletter, we began demolition on our project areas.
In the two months since the first wall was taken down, we have completely transformed five spaces that build capacity in the types of services we provide as well as the number of women we are able to serve each year. The five project areas are The Vocational Classroom, The Family Wing, The Community Kitchen, The Common Area, and additional offices. Eagle-eyed readers may notice that the additional offices spaces were not in our original plans for construction, but because of the in-kind contribution from RMCI toward our donation center, we were able to direct funds toward this greatly needed space.
To celebrate this accomplishment, Crossroads for Women recently held an open house for Crossroads Village, and we felt incredibly supported by the number of people who showed up to tour the newly renovated facility. We were honored to have representation from city, county, state, and federal government with a special appearance from our featured speaker, Mayor Tim Keller. For those able to attend, we provided a tour of each of the new spaces with context provided by active community members and staff. For those who were not able to attend, please read about what each of our project areas will mean for the future of Crossroads.
Vocational Area
We removed the walls and adjoining restrooms separating two former patient rooms, to make one large classroom suitable for over 20 clients at a time. Ensuring clients have the skills needed to enter the job market is an essential part of recovery. CRFW identified funding in addition to the Lowe’s grant to create a robust and technologically savvy vocational classroom complete with laptops, a projector, and the tables and chairs necessary for instruction.
Family Wing
One of the most exciting outcomes of the new, larger facility, is the opportunity to expand the Family Program to better include clients’ children. We have an entire section of the building, with four rooms and a common area, dedicated solely to the expansion of this program. The Family Wing now has a preschool room, an age 5-12 room, a room for teens complete with a tutoring center for after school, and we are in the process of building a playground area with direct access from the family specialist’s office.
Community Kitchen
Food insecurity is an issue that is only compounded by the effects of the pandemic. We were able to bring life back to the nonfunctional kitchen at this location to create a working, industrial-style kitchen with all the necessary equipment, including an industrial range. We are now able to provide hot meals to clients and those in the community who are food insecure. In addition to providing food, the Community Kitchen will be a learning environment where Crossroads and partners can offer food safety courses and culinary lessons.
Community Area
Pre-COVID, Crossroads for Women was known for welcoming large groups of people for annual events, client-centered activities, and for group sessions with staff. This was largely shifted to virtual means last year because of COVID, but CRFW will once again gather as a community in our new home. The community area at Crossroads Village was expanded by shelling out four rooms into one large, open area.
Additional Offices
As Crossroads grows the number of women and children it serves each year, more staff is added to the organization. To add capacity, Crossroads for Women converted a pharmacy into an office space capable of holding three additional staff members.
The story of Crossroads Village’s transformation is best told through pictures. Thankfully, our team was there every step of the way to capture the progress. Please view our album to see the journey unfold.
Thank you,
Robert Fontenot
Development Director
robertfontenot@crossroadsabq.org