Niagara Gospel Mission breaks ground on new women's center

By Madeline Dorobiala

Niagara Gospel Mission held a ceremonial groundbreaking ceremony for its new women’s center at 1317 Portage Road on Friday.

Niagara Gospel Mission Executive Director the Rev. John Cooper Jr. acknowledged the event was different in comparison to other groundbreaking ceremonies because the agency is remodeling. What used to be a pool for the YMCA is now being used for an emergency women’s shelter, which will have 17 beds for women in need. Cooper spoke about a survey Niagara Gospel Mission did in 2023, and how it found 109 women a month are denied services due to a deficiency of needed services.

“And so, what we want to do is going to step into the space and provide hope for a lot of ladies who are in desperate need right now,” Cooper said. “They’re being trafficked. They’re being abused. They’re being addicted. They’re being prostituted.”

Cooper and his staff plan to use the 17-bed emergency shelter and a separate room for long-term recovery. The latter will be located on the second floor and resemble the agency’s men’s program.

Niagara Gospel Mission Executive Director The Rev. John Cooper speaks about the renovations to the agency.

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“Seventy percent of men in our transitional house are employed here in Niagara Falls. They have been employed all over the place; you kind of never know that they lived with us or know their past was,” Cooper said.

City of Niagara Falls Mayor Robert Restaino said, “Every community will struggle (with the) kind of things Gospel Mission deals with day to day. And so, it’s important that expanding their mission to include women, I think, is obviously long overdue, not only in Niagara Falls but Niagara County.”

The mayor congratulated Cooper and his team on the renovation and said the work will bring a positive impact to the community.

Following the groundbreaking ceremony, head volunteer Elaine Pariso spoke to the press about her involvement. She said the men who came in for help are now involved in leadership roles within the agency’s programs.

The opportunity to “offer a place of safety and healing” for women “that’s why we’re here,” Pariso said.

Niagara Gospel plans on providing a private entrance for women in need and seeking sanctuary. Permits for such work have been submitted.

The new women’s center will provide a total of 25 beds, including a 17-bed emergency shelter and an eight-room, long-term recovery program. The $6 million addition is being funded through private donations.

The agency’s goal is for the emergency shelter to be open by June 2027, with long-term services to follow. For more information, call 716-205-8805.

A model of the new emergency shelter for women.

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Restaino was joined at the ribbon cutting by donors and agency staff who gathered for refreshments and conversation before the groundbreaking began. The event opened with a prayer said by the Rev. Michael Fiore from the Bridge Assembly of God Church and the Village Bake Shoppe. He thanked God for the event and stated that it goes beyond service and shines God’s light on others.