Harbor House announces campaign to construct a new 12,000-square-foot survivor-centered program facility.

John Fitts, Chair of the Harbor House Board of Directors, announced the plans to proceed with a $4.5 million project to create a survivor-centered program facility to serve survivors of domestic violence.

“In partnership with the City of Kankakee and the $2 million grant they are managing on our behalf,” Fitts stated, “Harbor House is poised to move forward with an exciting new chapter in our history. This facility serves a dual purpose: to provide increased office spaces and a larger capacity emergency shelter.”

To meet the needs of survivors, the 12,000-square-foot facility will include more confidential office spaces, collaborative program spaces, six individual units, four small family units, and two large family units—each space designed to provide privacy, dignity, and a safe place for healing.

A transformative gift from Alex Panozzo has led to the naming of the new facility in memory of his sister Lorena Panozzo, a devoted social worker who dedicated her life to helping others. The facility will be known as the Harbor House Lorena Panozzo Center for Domestic Violence Services and Prevention.

Jenny Schoenwetter, the Harbor House Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, noted, “Thanks to the support of the City of Kankakee in helping us secure the grant and to Alex Panozzo’s generosity, we are prepared to advance the construction of the Lorena Panozzo Center. We will be guided by the thought ‘Defining Moment. Lasting Impact.’ This theme encompasses what the Lorena Panozzo Center will signify for survivors of domestic violence, our organization, and the community.”

Domestic violence remains a pervasive and lethal community crisis. Nationally, each year, more than 10 million adults and 15 million children experience domestic violence, and more than two-thirds of mass shootings have a domestic violence connection, confirming that this is not a private, family problem—but a community problem.

Kankakee County State’s Attorney Jim Rowe, serving as Harbor House’s Campaign Chair, has spoken passionately that domestic violence is the number one violent crime in the county.

“Domestic violence impacts every facet of the community,” Rowe stated, “and when victims have nowhere to turn, it creates a potentially lethal void. Construction of the Lorena Panozzo Center will enable Harbor House to more effectively meet the needs of the community and survivors of domestic violence.”

To date, the community has responded with gifts exceeding $1.5 million towards this effort. The campaign will continue through early summer with opportunities for participation at multiple levels.