'My heart is just so full': Dream Center reopens its doors, sheltering women and children
On an afternoon filled with worship music and countless expressions of gratitude, the Dream Center debuted its new 26,000-square-foot facility last week, aiming to house between 80 and 100 women and children.
A project seven years in the making, the $6.7 million building at 59 Oil Well Rd. that opened Nov. 2 was possible entirely by the private donations of what Dream Center board member Rick Allison described as "men and women who just answered the call."
"We don't have big institutional investors, we didn't win a grant, this is just Christian families stepping up and loving people through their need and delivering them from circumstances that most of us can't understand and can't imagine," Allison said.
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Originally founded in 2004 to shelter families after a tornado and severe weather ripped through Madison County, the Dream Center has long been an emblem of community service. When Gail Gustafson became the center's director in 2006, her Christ-centered approach helped and healed hundreds of women and their children.
"It's just God, I just can't give Him enough glory for what He's done in this place," she said.
Previously located in the former Regional Hospital Building on Old Hickory Road, the center was forced to relocate in December 2016 when the building was sold. Nonetheless, it continued its effort to house women and children in single-family homes by provision of local Jackson businessmen.
In 2017, Northside Assembly of God church donated a portion of their land for use where the Dream Center now resides. After significant donations to the building campaign and alongside the donation of labor and resources by local construction agencies, groundbreaking commenced on July 8, 2022.
Pastor JP Vick of Northside Assembly began the ribbon-cutting ceremony by leading attendees in prayer, asking for the Lord's presence to fill the Dream Center.
At the center, women will have access to counseling for overcoming abuse and dependency, budgeting and finance workshops, tutoring, Bible classes, and courses on hygiene, nutrition, and cooking.
In 2022, the Dream Center serviced 315 individuals — 125 women and 190 children. Of those 125 women, 114 relocated to permanent housing and 87 found regular employment, according to data provided by the Dream Center.
"My heart is just so full," Gustafson said.
This article originally appeared on Jackson Sun: Dream Center in Jackson opens its doors, sheltering women and children
