Casey Gwinn’s goal is to create at the YWCA’s headquarters a ‘little city on one block’ to serve disadvantaged women and children.

The YWCA of San Diego County, which celebrates 100 years of incorporation this summer, has a full plate, providing critical services, shelter and programs for women and children victims of domestic violence, homeless women and homeless intact families.

The plate could become fuller still in the future.

An expanded management, headed by former city attorney Casey Gwinn, who became the YWCA’s first male chief executive officer in July 2007, and a board of directors are engaged in strategic planning for the YWCA’s next 25 to 50 years of service.

The plans contemplate the restoration/adaptive-reuse of the YWCA’s handsome 1927 headquarters building at 1012 C St. and the redevelopment of the remainder of the Downtown block. The multi-phase project would involve a permanent home for the San Diego Family Justice Center (FJC) and space for more than two dozen entities providing comprehensive programs and services to FJC clients; affordable housing; state-of-the-art emergency housing to replace that now provided in the YWCA’s headquarters; space for educational, recreational and cultural activities; and “socially responsible retail,” Gwinn says.

The San Diego FJC, with its co-location of numerous government, legal, health, education, guidance and social services for women and children, is the national model for one-stop management of domestic violence issues.

Since Gwinn, who also serves as president of National Family Justice Center Alliance, is the “father” of San Diego’s FJC, it is not surprising that the YWCA and FJC contemplate an alliance that would enable expansion of their related services and programs on a single block.

It will take the YWCA and its public- and private-sector partners a lot of time and even more money to create what Gwinn describes as “a little city on one block.” Meetings with government agencies, owners of other parcels on the block, educators and other social service providers are ongoing.

There is, however, a sense of urgency, as the FJC leases four floors in a Downtown office tower. The hope is to accommodate the FJC and its service providers in the restored YWCA building before interim space becomes necessary.

The first phase of the project — the restoration of the vintage YWCA building — will include rehabilitation of its swimming pool, gymnasium and meeting/events space for public uses. Gwinn and Roberta Spoon, president of the agency’s board, describe the structure as a “gem” that will be returned to the community. A café could be added on the second floor, and first-floor space renovated for public meetings, educational programs, entertainment and social events.

YWCA President Roberta Spoon wants to open more of the YWs to the public.

“Our building has basically been closed to the public for some time,” Spoon says. “It will be wonderful to return it to the public, and to have it again be a community asset for the east side of Downtown on the C Street corridor. But that is just the beginning of the vision.”

Describing Gwinn as “the right person at the right time” for the YWCA, Spoon credits her fellow directors for their knowledge, strength and determination to keep the century-old agency at the forefront of social service providers dedicated to women and families.

The YWCA operates four emergency shelter and transitional residential programs (Becky’s House Emergency Shelter, Becky’s House 2, PASSAGES and Cortez Hill Family Center) for women and children victimized by domestic violence, homeless women and homeless families. It also offers — alone or in collaboration with government and other nonprofits — counseling, intervention, guidance, training and educational services.

“It’s very gratifying,” says Gwinn of his first year with the YWCA, “and very humbling at the same time.”