What was once a condemned building has been transformed into a community walking garden that seeks to uplift the neighborhood surrounding North 26th Street and West Capitol Drive.

The Refuge Garden of Shechem is a project of Hope Street Ministry, a nonprofit committed to building community on the North Side.

The green space will eventually be transformed into Hope Street’s community center, Shechem.

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For the past 20 years, Hope Street Ministry has provided safe and supportive housing to men, women and children.

It’s “a safe space where we cultivate hope and develop self-sufficiency together, as a community,” Hope Street’s Executive Director Ashley Thomas said.