Construction will soon begin on the first homeless shelter exclusively for women and children in Denton.
Serve Denton, which broke ground on The Wheeler Center on Friday, is designed to help some of the county's most needy families.
Dale Kimble, chairman of Serve Denton's board, said the empty building on Elm Street would be transformed into the shelter, a nonprofit medical clinic and offices for multiple nonprofit organizations.
"The thought behind Serve Denton is to bring all the nonprofits and their variety of needs together under one facility," he said.
Serve Denton is designed to cut down travel time, with multiple organizations will be housed in one location.
"Not only is it a beginning, but it's going to be a new and fresh start for a lot of people," Denton resident Natasha Scott said.
Scott said she planned to volunteer.
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"I'm already thinking of coming and painting, whatever they want me to do," she said.
Pat Smith, Serve Denton's secretary, said there is a need in the community for places like The Wheeler Center.
"Just in Denton Independent School District alone, we have over 918 homeless children enrolled in the school district," Smith said.
