Women and children first

Page 2 of 2 -- Lawrence Mayor Michael J. Sullivan lauded the project.

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''It's creating permanent housing in the city, which we have a tremendous need for," he said. ''It's enhancing the transitional housing [for] women and families that are going through a tough time." He said it was also helping with the city's revitalization by placing ''a nice new attractive structure" on what had been an empty lot.

In addition to the transitional housing it offers at the two leased sites, the YWCA currently operates a 10-room housing program on the top floor of its building for single women who have become homeless due to domestic abuse.

Also in the building, the YWCA runs a program serving domestic violence victims (which also includes a legal advocacy office in Lawrence District Court); a regional rape crisis center; women's health advocacy programs; and child care and after-school programs. It has a pool and a gym that the YWCA and community groups use. The YWCA is installing an exterior elevator for the building.

The YWCA also owns and runs a summer camp in Salem, N.H.

O'Brien said that in addition to helping meet a pressing need for low-cost permanent housing in the city, YWCA Fina House will allow the organization to strengthen its transitional housing programs. Having the two programs under one roof, she said, will allow staff to more easily coordinate educational activities, and for women from the two programs to interact.

She said because of the close proximity of the two buildings, residents of YWCA Fina House will not only benefit from the services provided on site, such as vocational counseling, but from those available at the YWCA's main building. And she noted that those services will be available to residents of both the transitional and the permanent housing.

State Senator Susan C. Tucker of Andover, who helped the YWCA secure its state assistance, said the new home will help meet a ''desperate need for this type of housing, not only in Lawrence but all over Massachusetts, particularly for domestic violence victims and people with disabilities. And the YWCA provides excellent support services, which literally can transform the lives of young women and children."

Margaret Crockett of Andover, the YWCA's board president, calls the project ''a natural progression" for an organization dedicated to helping low-income women and their families become independent.

She said that the YWCA's experience has shown that housing is a ''critical element" for the women and families involved in that quest.