New renovations are taking place in Blair, Nebraska. Lutheran Family Services has purchased the defunct Dana College campus, which is to be turned into a village with the purpose of being transition-housing. This new village will give children who age out of foster care a chance to live on their own in an apartment instead of ending up on the street. Dana Village will offer more than just housing. There will be life coaches to assist the residents and teach them things they never learned how to do, such as laundry or cooking. Not only will they help with home life, but also with things like resumes, career exploration, and education. By doing this, LFS is fighting the grisly statistics for a population who would otherwise end up homeless, incarcerated, or addicted. Dana Village will be a new beacon of hope for those looking for a place where they can receive the help they need.
Dana College closed its doors for good when it failed to keep up with funding, resulting in bankruptcy. In July of 2010, they gave up on trying to gain donations and stopped attempting to sell it, and as a result, the professors and students were forced to drop everything and abandon the college altogether.
Though the renovation is for a good cause, it is breaking the hearts of Dana alumni.
Wendy Greenwood, secretary at Blair High School and former Dana student, said “I’m glad it’s being used for something, but it breaks my heart that it isn’t the college.”
This new use for the grounds will be stretched out across the entire campus. The new buildings will range from restaurants, to housing and sports facilities. This gives ex-foster children a shot at a normal adulthood. Typically, when a child ages out of the system, they are just thrown out into the world and expected to function with the life around them. Dana Village wants to fight that and allow those children to learn the life skills that they never had the chance to learn. With the activities and restaurants available, the Village will be able to build a sense of community and comfort that some of those young adults may have never been able to grasp onto.
While some may be sad to see the campus go, it can be agreed upon that the Dana College campus will continue to serve the heart of Blair, Nebraska.
