Historic church in Charlottesville reborn as homeless shelter

CHARLOTTESVILLE - An undertaking that is transforming a 19th-century Charlottesville church into a day shelter for the homeless is nearly completed.

“It does look great, doesn’t it?” said Janet Matthews, project director for the soon-to-open Haven at First and Market.

The project was estimated to cost $5 million and was pioneered by film director and University of Virginia graduate Tom Shadyac. Shadyac purchased the property at the corner of West Market and North First streets in 2006 after spending much of the previous year in the area filming “Evan Almighty,” and vowed to turn it into a place where the homeless and working poor could obtain much-needed services to help them get on their feet.

A grand opening to celebrate the haven’s beginning is taking place from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday at the church, at 112 W. Market St. The event is open to the public and will have building tours and refreshments. Shadyac is expected to attend the event.

The 15,000-square-foot church, which contains several floors and rooms that make it feel almost house-like, has been undergoing renovations after a groundbreaking ceremony was held in March.

“They don’t have to stand in line on the sidewalk,” said Colleen Keller, executive director of People and Congregations Engaged in Ministry, which runs a seasonal homeless shelter and will have its offices in the church.

“It gives them a place to go,” she said.

The haven and daytime shelter will be divided into four areas: Kay’s Kitchen, where breakfast will be served daily in a dining room that seats 80 people; the sanctuary, which will host educational, professional and cultural events; the day haven that will serve as a living room area, equipped with a library, computers, showers and laundry facilities; and the annex for agency offices.

The Thomas Jefferson Area Coalition for the Homeless will be operating the building and Matt-hews said there are 14 agencies that have expressed an interest in being in the building, either by permanent location or with informal office hours.

“The needs are much more widespread than people realize,” she said.

Those agencies include PACEM, the Monticello Area Community Action Agency, Mercy House, the Charlottesville Depart-ment of Social Services, Region Ten Community Services Board, Charlot-tesville Health Access and the AIDS/HIV Services Group.

“Our goal is to create essentially as close to a one-stop-shop as possible,” said Kaki Dimock, executive director of the homeless coalition. “Our focus is really on that improved coordination,” she added.

Those involved with the project were shooting for a Thanksgiving opening date, but Matthews said the date was pushed back slightly because of weather delays.

“We had those two terrific rainstorms,” she said, referring to the heavy rain the area saw even before the storms earlier this week. “The ground is so wet right now.”

Matthews said the renovations will be completely done Dec. 15. Yet she said they have been very fortunate in their construction schedule, and people put an extraordinary amount of energy and passion into helping the idea come to fruition.

“I was amazed by the amount of giving that people did, because the spirit behind the project was to benefit people who were less fortunate than themselves,” she said. “People have really stepped up.”