North Jersey Center For Women And Children Celebrates Major Expansion

PATERSON, NJ — A center for women and children in North Jersey is celebrating the expansion of its Paterson building on May 4, according to a news release.

The Oasis building at 59 Mill Street is now able to serve 2,500 more women and children each year with the additional space.

Oasis - A Haven for Women and Children was founded in 1997 as a nonprofit organization serving women, children, and teenagers in need around the Paterson area.

The organization completed a $5.4 million construction project in December 2021, the news release said. An additional 9,250 square feet of space was added on the ground floors, and a fourth floor will house new classrooms, tutoring rooms, a conference room, and offices for social workers.

The ground floor addition includes "an expanded lobby, a new thrift shop, an expanded childcare room, a wellness room, and a rooftop garden," the news release said.

The ribbon cutting ceremony is Wednesday, May 4 at 11 a.m. Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh will speak at the ceremony, the news release from Oasis said.

"With more space available, Oasis has already begun to expand programs to meet the needs of hundreds more women and children," said Laetitia Cairoli, Director of Development for Oasis. "Some new programs include a Thrift Store internship program to help unemployed women find work in the retail sector; a maternal health program to give expectant mothers access to the health care they need; and plans to increase enrollment in the highly successful After-School Academy by 50 percent in the upcoming school year."