INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – The International District Community Center opened on the Northwest side of Indianapolis on Tuesday.

It’s part of the redevelopment by Sojos Capital near the old Lafayette Square Mall. Community leaders and neighbors celebrated the 14,000-square-foot space with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, marking its grand opening on Tuesday morning.

Abby Harlan, executive director, says they want to connect residents to workforce development, health, wellness, financial literacy and other resources.

“It is incredible what the team and our leadership has pulled off,” Harlan said. “Our mission is to uplift empower and strengthen the community whether it’s programming for seniors or a teen program school-age programming [or] summer camps.”

The new center will feature event spaces, offices and classrooms.

Harlan says this will be the only community center in the area, so they want to play a role in revitalizing the Layfette neighborhood.

In September, the community center is teaming up with the Indy Black Chamber of Commerce for a workshop on turning business ideas into reality. They hope to continue to develop similar programs.

“We have been reaching out to a lot of the community associations, different neighborhoods,” Harlan said. “We’re still certainly gathering all that information, so we can have responsible and responsive programming.”

A bright and colorful mural painted by Indianapolis artist and WISH-TV Photojournalist Joy Hernadez decorates the outside wall of the IDCC.

Inside, Harlan says the wallpaper tries to represent the communities they hope to serve. One wall is a compilation of real photographs taken of neighbors. Another contains phrases chosen by the community in English, Spanish and Haitian Creole.

“This community is full of people that speak, over 80 languages — hundreds of ethnicities,” Harlan said. “The largest parts of the community are the Haitian Creole speaking, Spanish speaking and then of course English speaking. We wanted to certainly reflect the communities that are a large part of this neighborhood, but we certainly don’t stop there.”

The center will be open Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. On Saturday’s the facility will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The IDCC is located at 3540 Commercial Drive, Indianapolis, Indiana.