In a media release today, the Board of Directors of YWCA Brandon have announced they’ve made the decision to initiate the decommissioning of its Meredith Place building, which has been deemed uninhabitable and closed since May 2022.
“The Women’s Shelter was moved out of Meredith Place many years ago and up to its closure, the building had been operating as transitional housing. The decision to decommission the building will not impact operations of the Women’s Shelter, which will continue to serve hundreds of families impacted by domestic violence.”
“Meredith Place has held an important role in our organization’s history, but it is no longer a refuge for women and families from the Westman communities” said Lois Ruston, Executive Director of YWCA Brandon. “In its condition, we are simply unable to repair the building and every day, Meredith Place poses a real safety hazard to the community and a profound drain on our resources. Following the conclusion of an insurance claim, the Board has made the difficult decision to select a company to dismantle the building.”
The release states, “upon his death in 1917, Henry Meredith, a local businessman and community builder in Brandon, bequeathed $10,000 (valued at over $230,000 today) to the YWCA, which they used to fund a new transitional house. Designed by Frank R. Evans, the building, which became known as Meredith Place in 2002, is unique with various details including decorative brick, columns, and carvings. Henry Meredith is known as a “hero” within the YWCA organization, and as such extensive efforts will be made during the decommissioning process to salvage aspects of the building masonry and identifying elements for use in future developments.”
“Our passionate team, and new leadership, will see us respect our past while we get back to our mission – providing safety for women and those marginalized by gender, who are experiencing domestic or family violence – and grow our programs and services” says Candice Waddell-Henowitch, Board President. “Along with the community and our stakeholders, we will be embarking on a strategic redevelopment project that will see a new, modern, accessible, multi-purpose building emerge for greater inclusion of all our Westman communities.”
The organization says it “intends to start the Meredith Place decommissioning process before this summer and is working with the Construction Association of Rural Manitoba for guidance and support in the quoting and tender process.”
