1991 - Concerned community leaders began meeting to discuss the limited services available to single women without children in their custody.
March 2, 1992 - Fresh Start Home began operation, as a result of these meetings.
Fresh Start Home originally was modeled after a Canadian transitional housing in Calgary. The name “Fresh Start” came to mind when someone spoke of giving women a “fresh start in life”. The original facility was a house located at 1809 Ryons Street. The appeal of the property was the cost – the facility was donated to the program for the first two years of operation. The limitation of the facility was the one water heater, which did not prove practical for the six, then nine, women able to be accommodated at this site.
March, 1994 - A brick fourplex located at 2323 F Street was purchased by Fresh Start. The program operated at that location from 1994 until July 2007. That facility housed sixteen women through strategic room design. While the facility boasted four water heaters and on site laundry facilities, living and sleeping space was limited.
February, 2001 - With a vision toward expansion, the brick duplex next door was purchased. The two apartments first were utilized as rental property until funding was secured to renovate both facilities. The renovations connected both properties and increased capacity, bringing the total number of women who could be housed at a time to 16. They also added more living and office space.
2004 - The continued need for services and resulting wait list prompted Fresh Start to undergo a capital campaign. At this time, funding was requested to purchase a new facility in order to serve more women. A historic building was purchased and renovated in the Havelock neighborhood of Lincoln. The building, located at 6433 Havelock Avenue, was originally Rosemont Church. Extensive renovations were needed, as the building had served many purposes since the mid 1960s, including an engine repair shop immediately prior to Fresh Start.
July, 2007 - Fresh Start moved into its new facility and opened 18 of the 24 available beds. In the fall of 2008 the remaining 6 beds were made available, after “breaking in” the facility and after securing some additional funding.
March, 2008 - Fresh Start has served over 1,000 women during our 17 year history. We look forward to assisting even more women as they become stronger and more self sufficient and to helping them move from homeless to housed.
