Future life of abandoned former YWCA Huber Heights campus unclear

The 19-acre property, located at 7650 Timbercrest Drive, reverted back to the Montgomery County ADAMHS Board this summer after YWCA Dayton vacated it, officials confirmed.

YWCA Dayton executive director Terra Fox Williams, who joined the local YWCA in June 2023, said the decision to step away from the Huber Heights property was difficult.

“As is the case with many businesses and non-profit organizations, it is no secret that the YWCA Dayton has struggled through COVID and in this post-COVID environment,” she said in a statement to Dayton Daily News.

Fox Williams said the ongoing management costs of the campus exceeded the organization’s short- and long-term revenues.

“Although difficult, this decision will allow our organization to support the women, children, and families we serve for the long term,” she said. “We take very seriously our fiduciary responsibility and the impact it has on our community, and we are excited to look to the future and work with the community to create the next chapter for YWCA Dayton.”

YWCA Dayton took over the lease of the Huber Heights campus in June 2019. In 2022, YWCA was slated to receive $500,000 of state capital dollars to go toward renovation costs for the campus, but it never received the state funding.

The property is valued at $5.6 million, according to Montgomery County property records, and has 11 buildings and a 20,000-square-foot administrative building.

YWCA Dayton is based in downtown Dayton with an additional location in Preble County. Some of the organization’s core work includes its domestic violence shelter, permanent supportive housing program and other related services for survivors.

Rezash said after the campus came back to ADAMHS, the ADAMHS Board became aware of some individuals entering the buildings on the property and damage done on-site, but the buildings are now secure.

Cleaning crews were on site Wednesday, and scrap metal was piled outside the YWCA Huber Heights administrative office. Dumpsters were also scattered throughout the campus.

The Huber Heights campus formerly served as the Montgomery County Developmental Center, which was built in 1980 and closed in 2018.