The overview
The YWCA Women’s Live and Learn Center is a redevelopment project on the city’s west side that will offer life-saving resources for some of San Antonio’s most vulnerable citizens.
The center will be built in three phases. In Phase 1, the project will focus on adapting the existing structure on the property into a 30-unit transitional housing facility. This facility will serve young women ages 18-25, including those at risk of homelessness and domestic violence, and women who have aged out of foster care. Additionally, the center will support residents earning at or below 150% of the federal poverty level, or 30% of the area median income.
Residents will have access to various services, including workforce training, mental health counseling, early childhood care and financial literacy education. Residents will begin moving in by February, with full occupancy anticipated in late summer 2025.
Phase 2 of redevelopment is the construction of a child development center capable of serving up to 50 children, and administrative offices to support campus operations. The groundbreaking ceremony for the child development center occurred Jan. 8.
Phase 3 of the project is the construction of a mixed-use development, potentially featuring additional residential units and expanded services through partnerships with mission-aligned organizations.
Project funding
The city of San Antonio has contributed $1.4 million in Community Development Block Grant funds, $250,000 in fee waivers, and a $670,000 Inner City Incentive Fund development loan for the redevelopment project.
Additionally, the Westside tax increment reinvestment zone—a tool to fund development within a set geographic boundary— provided $2 million to support public improvements and infrastructure for Phase 1.
Why it matters
City officials said providing safe refuge for women experiencing domestic violence is a critical mission within Bexar County and Texas.
According to the Texas Council on Family Violence, 205 Texans were killed in 2023 by a romantic or intimate partner. This includes 179 women, 26 men and four LGBTQ+ victims. Of those victims, 14 were in Bexar County.
For more information on the YWCA Live and Learn Center, visit www.ywcasa.org.
