Community members attended an open house showcasing the newly renovated YWCA downtown facility Tuesday and were asked to use the center’s improvements as encouragement to further work on community projects.

The YWCA community center, which houses more than 150 Madisonians each night both through permanent housing and nightly shelters, underwent more than $16 million in renovations throughout the past several months to create more of a “home atmosphere” rather than an institutional environment.

Former First Lady of Wisconsin Jessica Doyle said the campaign began in 2008 when members of the project’s board were soliciting donations to help those in need when a number of community members had little to give.

“This campaign started in the fall of 2008 and times were really, really tough, but our community understood that because times were tough, and still are today, the needs were also greater and greater,” she said. “[The community] sensed an urgency and dug deep, and for that we are extremely grateful.”

YWCA is the single largest provider of housing in Dane County and aids women and children who have found themselves in “desperate situations,” Doyle said. The center also helps women and men with job training skills to further the growth of the community.

Doyle said Madison’s YWCA has always been a model for the rest of the country in demonstrating how a community center can equip individuals to reach new goals and turn their lives around.

“I think this magnificent [renovation] and the update on YWCA’s Empowerment Center are truly inviting and meet today’s needs,” Doyle said. “They truly embody the mission and empower women while creating a more just world.”

YWCA Madison’s Executive Director Eileen Mershart said the renovated center should be seen as an “incredible celebration” for the entire community, not just the building’s inhabitants.

Mershart said although the community members who came together to contribute to the renovations essentially built a building, the project was actually about building a cause.

“[The community has] helped us build hope and you’ve done it with us one brick at a time,” Mershart said. “But this project is about a lot more than bricks and mortar. It’s about creating a home for the 150 people who call this their home every night, and it gives them a very safe place to live.”