First step taken toward new $5 million 'Sanctuary' women's day center in Oklahoma City

Carla Hinton, Oklahoman
·3 min read

The woman remembered many details about the day she connected with a local women's center, from the bright red rose bushes flanking the agency's doorway to the question her 5-year-old son asked as he clutched his Lightning McQueen blanket:

"Why don't we have a home?"

No longer homeless and with her son now a college freshman, Elvira Griffin shared her memories and her gratitude at Tuesday's groundbreaking ceremony for a new, larger Sanctuary Women's Development Center. Leaders with Catholic Charities of Oklahoma City, an affiliate of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, said the new 9,000-square-foot center will cost an estimated $5 million and be built at the center's longtime site at 2133 SW 11. The new, expansive building will replace the small former church that housed the agency, allowing the center to serve more women and children experiencing homelessness.

Archbishop Paul S. Coakley provides the invocation and site blessing Tuesday at the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Catholic Charities Sanctuary Women's Development Center, a day shelter for women who are homeless or in need, on the grounds of the current center which was housed in a former Catholic church.
Archbishop Paul S. Coakley provides the invocation and site blessing Tuesday at the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Catholic Charities Sanctuary Women's Development Center, a day shelter for women who are homeless or in need, on the grounds of the current center which was housed in a former Catholic church.

Patrick Raglow, Catholic Charities executive director, said the hope is to have the new center "that has been a dream for a decade or longer" completed in just over a year and opened in 2024. Michael Milligan, a Catholic Charities board member, said the board easily raised funds for the new center because many organizations and individuals recognized the need for the services provided there.

Often informally called Sanctuary, the center had been housed in the former Our Lady of Guadalupe Church building since its inception 14 years ago. Design features from that building, including the bell tower, cornerstone and apex cross, will be incorporated into the new center. Demolition of the former center is expected to start in mid-May so that construction may begin on the new center.

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Sanctuary client Elvira Griffin shares what the center means in her life Tuesday at the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Catholic Charities Sanctuary Women's Development Center.
Sanctuary client Elvira Griffin shares what the center means in her life Tuesday at the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Catholic Charities Sanctuary Women's Development Center.

In the meantime, the center's staff will continue offering Sanctuary services at Catholic Charities offices at 1232 N Classen. The center offered women and their children a safe place where they could take showers, do laundry, access computers and talk with case managers assisting them in finding permanent housing and other resources.

Racheal Singley, the center's director, said those services will still be provided during the transition. She said she and her staff began working with their clients at the Catholic Charities temporary location and the operation is going relatively well. Singley said Sanctuary had a food and hygiene pantry for many years, and staff members will be offering those resources again once they get certain logistics finalized.

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Sanctuary client Romaine Fantroy hugs Patrick Raglow, executive director, on Tuesday after speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Catholic Charities Sanctuary Women's Development Center.
Sanctuary client Romaine Fantroy hugs Patrick Raglow, executive director, on Tuesday after speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Catholic Charities Sanctuary Women's Development Center.

She said staff members typically take the center's van out each morning to bring unsheltered women and children and those staying at nearby homeless shelters to the Sanctuary center. Singley said she had worried that they would lose some clients during the transition, but she said they have been able to reach even more women in need with the temporary change in location.

The center director said the Sanctuary was only able to have about 52 women at the center's small building and property at one time, but the new building will allow them to serve about 200.

"We were literally bursting at the seams," Singley said.

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Archbishop Paul S. Coakley provides the invocation and site blessing Tuesday at the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Catholic Charities Sanctuary Women's Development Center.
Archbishop Paul S. Coakley provides the invocation and site blessing Tuesday at the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Catholic Charities Sanctuary Women's Development Center.

Oklahoma City Archbishop Paul S. Coakley blessed the center site during Tuesday's groundbreaking. He shared comments similar to Singley's.

"The need is great, and we're delighted that we're able to expand the access to more women that can benefit from the services that are offered here," he said. "This has been a wonderful facility for a good many years, but we've outgrown it."

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Catholic Charities-OKC breaks ground on new women's 'Sanctuary' center