Julia Williams

Editor-in-Chief

In October 2024, Sheffield Place held a groundbreaking just across the street from SEVI House (1004 Newton Ave.) — the nonprofit’s second rehabilitation facility — for what would become its third housing and recovery building.

Sheffield Place was founded in 1991 with a mission of providing support, services and housing to women and their families in recovery. Since its headquarters opened at 6604 E. 12th St., the organization has gone on to expand with SEVI House in 2021, 10 neighborhood homes, which have assisted over 1600 families within its nearly 34 years in operation, according to Northeast News archives, and now this addition of a third location.

Over the past seven months, Pearce Construction Company — the project’s main contractor — along with additional sub-contractors, have worked to build this facility from the ground up — a first experience for Sheffield Place. 

“With SEVI, [the building] was already there, we just renovated it,” Sheffield Place President and CEO Kelly Welch said in an interview. “We couldn’t do everything as exactly as we would have liked.”

However, with this new construction project, it will allow the organization to implement several different facets for its program participants including an outdoor play area for children, a living room and an outdoor courtyard for the women, which they plan to call “Grace Garden,” and will be utilized for case manager visits as well as group sessions. 

Photo by Julia Williams

“Our original building and SEVI, neither one has a living room space,” Welch said. “There’s no place for the women to hang out except the backyard.”

These additions to the facility, while they were not necessarily a part of the original construction plan, Sheffield Place decided to implement after gathering feedback from current program participants and as the structure began to show face. 

Another element its third building will have is an expanded group space — particularly for classroom-based usage with TVs and microphones that will allow for training sessions as well as Zoom meetings among staff and program participants. 

Photo by Julia Williams

A large component will focus on targeting aftercare for women and their children, concentrating on long-term recovery — for which there is not currently dedicated space for at the other Sheffield Place locations. 

At this new building, Welch shared, women will have the option to stay within this portion of the program as long as they would like — or to come and go as they please. 

As anticipated at the ground breaking, five units will serve as residential usage for those who have completed initial programming at the main building on 12th Street, while the other half will offer space for outpatient and after care. 

Welch said this facility will increase Sheffield Place’s residential capacity by 20% — bringing its total number of units available to 29, which she considers a sweet spot for the program.

“Anything bigger would change the spirit of the way we do services,” Welch said in an interview. “It would take away what makes us unique.”

In addition to housing, this new location will also have space to include four staff offices and a conference room, which Welch shared will assist with those who currently work in closet space at headquarters. And with staff moving their office to the new building, it will also open up that space at its original location. 

In an interview with Welch and Sheffield Place Development Manager Stephanie Hoover, the two shared that while they originally anticipated construction completion for September 2025, they now project this new facility will be completed one month sooner, in August. 

Currently, Welch shared that Pearce Construction Company contractors have placed the windows, doors, roof and siding on the structure and they now can begin inside work. 

The current view of the new Sheffield Place facility from SEVI House at 1004 Newton Ave. | Photo by Julia Williams

However, the next step for this project will be to install retaining walls on three of the building’s four sides, which crews plan to begin in the first week of June.

Sheffield Place has not landed on a name for its new facility at this time. However, Welch said it is a current discussion between staff members.

“We’re really fortunate Sheffield Neighborhood Association is so supportive,” Hoover said in an interview. “We’re excited to do things in the orchard with them and make that corner stronger and make that relationship more robust.”

For additional information on Sheffield Place including its new facility, visit: https://www.sheffieldplace.org/ and previous Northeast News coverage: