An 1880’s carriage house, located at 139 Sheldon Avenue, SE, will soon be history and its site will house a new structure, a women’s shelter.  Degage Ministries, located at 144 S. Division, has been given consent to raise the historical building due to its structural deficiency. 
A six-million-dollar project will begin this spring, with the renovations of an addition to the old carriage house, combined with a newly built structure, which will adjoin the S. Division home of Degage.  This nonprofit plan is to move its dining room to the renovated portion, which will accommodate 200 people.  In addition, the new structure will house the Degage kitchen as well as the women’s shelter, expanding the beds from 40 to 80.

The kitchen is home to “Paul’s Mom’s Cookies”; this business donates all proceeds to Degage.

With the new kitchen being added, the business will expand by hiring more workers.  The new jobs are offered to women who have been served by Degage.  The cookies are currently being sold at local businesses, including Forest Hills Foods and Kingma’s and the Bridge Street Markets.

This expansion will also enable Degage to help people find jobs and stable housing.  Degage is in partnership with Mercy Health St. Mary’s.