By Carie Kuehn
BLOOMINGTON – Local women in need will now have more resources at their access as Labyrinth Outreach Services for Women joins YWCA McLean County.
“We feel our mission is their mission, and their mission is our mission,” said Labyrinth Co-President Mary Campbell. “We both have worked parallel on this project, trying to find the best way to finish what we started.”
Labyrinth Outreach Services was started in 2012 and has focused on helping the under served women in the community. They assist women released from the Illinois Department of Corrections and McLean County Jail in returning into the community by helping with things such as education, employment services and medical needs.
“When someone has a problem where they go through a difficult time, they don’t need judgment they need your compassion.,” said YWCA McLean County CEO Dontae Latson. “That is what the Labyrinth is all about and that is what the YWCA is all about and so we are very excited about it.”
The Labyrinth staff members will join the YWCA and will keep their offices on West Monroe Street in Bloomington. This was one of the goals in the partnership, so the organizations could keep a presence on both sides of town.
“I recognized the gap between the east side and the wast side of the community.,” said Latson. “Having been in other places like that, we know the best way to address it is head on. It makes it a little difficult when you don’t have a presence in one end of the community.”
The YWCA is on the East side of town and for a very long time it has wanted to have an active, passionate presence on the west,” said Campbell. “This allows them to do that.”
In addition to the community center on West Monroe, Labyrinth also owns a facility that can house up to eight women. The partnership between the two is effective beginning July 1.
Carie Kuehn can be reached at carie.kuehn@cumulus.com.
