Over 30 community members gathered at Hope Haven for a ground breaking ceremony Friday morning.

The ceremony, held at 1145 Rushmoore Drive in DeKalb, was the start of construction for a $1 million facility expansion, said Lesly Wicks, Hope Haven executive director.

According to a press release, the expansion will add 30 emergency beds for homeless individuals and families as well as create multi-purpose areas for events.

Construction will also restructure the current facility to serve only women and children, increasing the bed capacity from 10 to 24.

Hope Haven has raised about three-fourths of the projected cost for the project. The agency received six grants from community foundations, including a $150,000 grant from the DeKalb County Community Foundation (DCCF), Wicks said. Dan Templin, executive director of DCCF, said the DCCF grant is the second largest given to a local project.

Project architect Lisa Sharp of Sharp Architects, located at 421 Grove St. Suite A in DeKalb, explained Hope Haven’s need for expansion.

“Hope Haven definitely had a need,” Sharp said. “They had been seeing increased turn away rates, [meaning] they’re turning away dozens of people every month that needed shelter. Hope Haven approached me and I jumped at the chance to have the opportunity to do something great for the community.”

The release stated that due to capacity limits, over 200 people were turned away last year. Almost half of them were children.

State Rep. Bob Pritchard, R-Hinckley attended the event and commended Hope Haven for its efforts.

“As a state representative I try to represent all the interests of our communities,” Pritchard said. “When you look at DeKalb and Sycamore, one of the big needs they have in this economy is people losing their homes, losing their jobs and having no prospect for how to stabilize their lives. Hope Haven has really been that anchor, that stabilization.”

Bertrand Simpson, political science instructor and DeKalb resident, commented on homelessness in the area.

“When you bear in mind that some of the homeless are women and small children, as long as any small number of them are homeless, it’s too many,” Simpson said.

Editor’s Note: Editor in Chief Kim Skibinski contributed to this article.