LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Construction is wrapping up at the Norton Healthcare and Goodwill Opportunity Campus at the corner of 28th and Broadway.
Construction was announced over a year ago -- and on Wednesday, WHAS11 learned the building will be open to the public in the next few months.
“Ultimately for us, the endgame is to make sure the men and women who come into this center walk out with good quality jobs that allow them to live self-sufficient lifestyles,” said Goodwill External Affairs Officer DeVone Holt.
Substantial construction at the 125,000 square foot Opportunity Campus is expected to be completed by Dec. 31, with a full opening of the facilities sometime in late March.
"We will celebrate the opening of this facility, really by framing it as a kickoff of Goodwill's second hundred years in Kentucky," said Goodwill President and CEO Amy Luttrell. "We've been here a hundred years and this is a great way to kick off Goodwill's second hundred years in west Louisville."
The campus will be divided between Goodwill programs and services and eight other partners that will offer families career service programs, financial services, spaces for training and development, second chance banking, and more.
"I grew up in this community and I've recognized the challenges that face many of my neighbors here," Holt said. "This project for me is so much more than just a building, it is a revitalization for a community that's been in desperate need of a shot of hope."
The facility is expected to serve 50,000 West Louisvillians a year and put 600 men and women to work per year.
"We put all of our opportunity centers in places where people who live in poverty have easy access – by bus, by foot, places they're familiar with…visibility, they can see it," Luttrell said.
The Opportunity Campus is also sharing the space with Norton Healthcare, bringing the first hospital west of 9th Street in more than 100 years.
"It made all the sense in the world for us to have that type of organization anchored right here in the community with us. We believe that together we can make a huge impact on West Louisville," Holt said.
Goodwill said that they've closed a lot of the funding gap needed for the project; now, they're short just $2.4 million of their $15 million goal.
The Kentucky Goodwill Headquarters will also be moved to the new location.
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