Freedom House buys its headquarters and Nelson Chapel

PRINCETON — When Covenant Children’s Home decided to sell its 17-acre Princeton campus, the Freedom House Board of Directors was faced with a difficult decision: Relocate, or extend its already pandemic-stressed finances to buy its headquarters building and Nelson Chapel, each provided virtually rent-free by Covenant for many years.

Ultimately, the Board decided that the many advantages of making its longtime Princeton home permanent outweighed the financial burden. On Dec.1, Freedom House purchased 440 and 446 Elm Place with financing by Heartland Bank.

Nedda Simon, who founded Freedom House in 1983, said “Both my family and I are gratified that the agency now has its first permanent home. This has been a dream that we thought could never become a reality. But today, it has.”

“Freedom House has deep and abiding roots in Bureau County and Princeton, the symbolic center of the five-county area it serves,” said Board President Marshall Jones. “The Board is quite pleased that it was able to come to terms with Covenant and Heartland Bank to accomplish this important purchase.”

Shelley Giesen, Heartland Trust Officer and Freedom House Board member, said, “Heartland Bank is pleased to support Freedom House in its vital role of serving the surrounding five counties.”

Plans are underway to launch a capital campaign next year to help defray some of the costs of the purchase, necessary repairs and ongoing upkeep.

“Over the years, we have been supported so generously by the communities we serve,” said Michael Zerneck, executive, director, “we will once again be asking for that support to help us with our newly purchased home in Princeton.”

About Freedom House Inc.

Freedom House, a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation, is the domestic and sexual violence agency for Bureau, Henry, Marshall, Putnam and Stark counties in Illinois. Headquartered in Princeton, with satellite offices in Kewanee and Cambridge, Freedom House employs compassionate and skilled professionals to provide free, confidential, quality services to victims of abuse and their families, including a 24-hour crisis hotline (800-474-6031), emergency shelter, medical and legal advocacy, adult and child counseling, awareness and prevention education, and training for volunteers and professionals. In the past year, Freedom House staff provided needed services to more than 900 victims (and families) of domestic violence and sexual assault. For more information about their services or to make a donation, call 815-872-0087 or visit their website, www.freedomhouseillinois.org, or find them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.