“Kenosha can have a proper place in the Shalom Center so we can take care of the homeless and those in need in our community.”

Ald. Anthony Kennedy, who represents the area, said, “God’s hand is in this.”

“Being able to vote for the Shalom Center, being able to say, ‘This should be in my neighborhood; this is something we’re proud to do,’ ... that touched my heart,” Kennedy said.

Shalom Center board treasurer Wes Ricchio thanked local media for spotlighting the center’s efforts and needs in recent months.

“I also want to specifically thank at this time (publisher) Randy Rickman and the Kenosha News,” Ricchio said.

“When we received the news that we were not chosen to receive an $850,000 federal home loan bank grant, it was kind of devastating. It was going to push all this back at least a year. But with the support and the publicity provided by the Kenosha News and getting the story out there as to what happened, the community stepped up.”

‘Dream come true’Board member Karen Hansen Johnson called the new facility a “dream come true.”