Willis Dady Capital Campaign Brochure Case Statement

Building from Shelter to Stability The Campaign to Expand Space and Services at Willis Dady Homeless Services

“There are folks in our community who are struggling.

We need community support to expand our space and services. You can help us address the root causes of homelessness.

Together, we have an opportunity to meet critical safety needs and stop the cycle of

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homelessness before it begins.

They are suffering from the loss of a job or the challenge of a mental or physical illness.

They need a hand up, they need a chance to hit the reset button and start over. We’re big believers that you can’t overcome obstacles until a person is settled, and you can’t be settled if you don’t have a roof over your head and a bed to sleep in. So Willis Dady takes care of that basic need first. Then we get them into a program with the tools and support needed to allow them to push that reset button.”

Jim Burke Campaign co-chair Vice President of Willis Dady Board of Directors

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BUildiNG SUppoRT Imagine yourself on a cold night, huddled under a bridge or in an alley, trying to stay warm.

Perhaps you’ve been searching trash cans for food.

A small and very tired child is at your side, and she’s hungry, too.

It’s difficult to imagine such a grim experience – unless you’ve lived it.

Many people are burdened with homelessness right now.

A series of bad breaks or a chronic illness can mean the difference between coming home to dinner or sleeping on the streets. The causes and conditions that trigger homelessness are many. People experiencing this trauma often are in a crisis state and lack support to get back on their feet.

What’s needed is a safe place to lay your head and tuck your child into bed.

Somewhere with support to help you rebuild your life.

A place to go from shelter to stability.

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Willis dady Homeless Services can help.

Willis Dady helps those experiencing homelessness by providing: > Emergency shelter > Case management > Re-housing services > Employment assistance > Veterans services > Homeless prevention

“People come to us desperately in need of shelter and safety.

They don’t know where they or their children will sleep at night and they are struggling to meet their very basic needs. Currently we can’t serve some of the people who most need our services. An expansion and renovation will allow us to serve more people in a safer, more sustainable and more effective way. It will strengthen our work to end homelessness for every person we serve, creating long-term stability in our community.”

Phoebe Trepp Willis Dady Executive Director

a History of Building and Caring 1987

Willis Dady Homeless Services began addressing the ever-increasing need for emergency shelter. In four of the past five years, it has provided the most total nights of shelter in all of Linn County and consistently provides the most nights of shelter to single men in the county.

1991

Acquired its current facility at 1247 4th Ave. SE. The building was constructed in 1981.

2007 2012 2013

Started case management for shelter clients, an essential service to help people find and obtain permanent housing.

Added prevention services to support the near-homeless throughout Linn County.

Added veterans services through Operation Home, a partnership with HACAP funded by a Supportive Services For Veteran Families (SSVF) HUD/VA grant. Through this program, Willis Dady serves homeless and nearhomeless veterans in seven counties.

Willis Dady Homeless Services empowers clients to break the cycle of homelessness and become self-sufficient, a goal that benefits not only the individual but the entire community.

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“My son, at about five months old, passed away in his sleep.

He was revived and we stayed in the hospital for about four months. While we were in the hospital, we lost our place, our vehicle and all of our belongings.

We had to build up, start over, staying with friends, in a hotel, living off of the little income we had at the time. Willis Dady was the only shelter that was able to house me and my fiancé and our kids. Willis Dady is the only place I know that works with the actual family and helps the whole family at one time, instead of being split up.”

Victoria McClain Former Willis Dady client

2015

90% of Iowans who experienced

homelessness did so for the first time.

40% of clients had a disability.

Here’s How it Works Now The shelter houses single men, single fathers and families. Willis Dady is the area’s only facility providing shelter to single fathers and prevention services to anyone in Linn County. Since opening in 1987, we have provided emergency shelter to more than 12,000 people.

2015 we served 696 individuals

386 people in shelter and case management 288 households provided shelter, including > 256 single men > 32 families, consisting of 74 children and 56 adults

155 people with homeless prevention services 142 veterans and families aided through

Operation Home (case management, rapid re-housing, prevention and/or outreach)

34 homeless veterans sheltered 25 people sheltered after discharge from local

hospitals to recover at Willis Dady

13 people with on-site overow beds during the

coldest nights of winter

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BUildiNG CoMMUNiTY Willis Dady Homeless Services is a quiet, supportive presence in Linn County. By sheltering homeless men and families and helping them stabilize with steady employment and housing, Willis Dady helps the Cedar Rapids area remain stable as a whole.

“Who do we serve? We

serve anyone and everyone because anyone can become homeless.

You can be doing well. You can have a place to stay, you can have two jobs, you can have your kids enrolled in school, but almost any one event can destabilize everything. It could be an illness. It could be somebody getting laid off at work. And all of a sudden you go from really having things in line to suddenly not being sure where you are going to sleep that night. And that is where the emergency aspect of Willis Dady becomes so critical.�

Sam Jones Campaign co-chair Board President of Willis Dady

2015

1,493

people in Linn County were homeless.

70% of Willis Dady clients moved

into either permanent housing or temporary stable housing upon leaving shelter.

Why We Need an Upgraded Facility Willis Dady Homeless Services needs more space to fulfill our mission. By creating more accommodating space, we can fill gaps that exist in our community.

Our mission is to provide shelter and develop longterm solutions to homelessness through case management, employment and housing assistance, and prevention services. The need of the homeless and near homeless has grown beyond the capacity of the current facility.

More than adding walls and oors, it is creating stable lives rooted in the community.

Perhaps our community’s largest unmet need is our significant lack of permanent supported housing units. People who live on less than 30 percent of the area’s median income have the greatest challenge finding and maintaining housing. This often leads to a cycle of being homeless: finding unsafe or inadequate housing, not being able to pay rent and returning to homelessness.

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our campaign addresses the following needs: long-Term Stability – Some people experience chronic homelessness due to very low income combined with other challenges. This project will create four apartments supported with ongoing case management to help residents maintain stability. This is a 50 percent increase in such type of housing in all of Linn County.

Family Stability – The renovation will turn each of our four large apartments into two private, smaller apartments, making a total of eight units. Connecting doors in some units will allow us to create space for larger families.

Conceptual Plans

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FIRST FLOOR

accessibility – Due to facility limitations, the shelter never has been able to serve anyone with a mobility-related physical disability.

This means services have been restricted from anyone in a wheelchair, anyone using a walker or anyone who otherwise cannot get around. The renovated and enlarged facility will be ADA compliant. An elevator and wider doors and hallways will be a welcome change in a building that currently lacks wheelchair accessibility.

Employment – The facility currently cannot shelter people working overnight, third-shift jobs. In fact, there are no locations in Linn County that can shelter men working third shift. This lack of accommodation often

32 families, consisting of 74 children and 56 adults, were helped in 2015

forces men to choose between staying in a safe shelter and working a higher-paying night job. Through the remodeling and expansion, a separate entrance and bedroom will be created for those working third shift. increased Safety – Because the current building has no basement, residents and staff must run to a nearby community center during storm warnings, often while the storm is already underway. To address this safety issue, a basement will be created in the new addition.

Work Space – Several employees currently work off-site because there is no space for them at the shelter. This lack of office space means that clients and staff discuss private matters in public spaces, and

meetings are held in an open room without privacy. Adding office space will allow all our employees to work in one location.

Clients will be able to candidly discuss their barriers and goals with staff in a confidential meeting. Partner agencies will have space to work directly with clients who need their services and to collaborate with Willis Dady staff. Our staff can more efficiently work with clients to help them obtain work and permanent housing.

Financial Stability – A portion of the campaign will help grow Willis Dady’s endowment fund to pay for the ongoing costs of the facility. In this way, you can be assured that an investment today will lead to long-term stability tomorrow.

SECOND FLOOR

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“ I had to quit working because of my diabetes.

I had to put all my clothes and furniture in storage. I was desperate to get a place for my daughter and me so we wouldn’t be sleeping in the car.

My daughter and I stayed at the Willis Dady shelter for about three weeks. The people at Willis Dady showed me which way to go because I had never been homeless. They give you the push to keep you going. I got back on my feet, got a place to stay. They’re like that second backbone, you might say.”

Tommy McFerson, Former Willis Dady client

BY THE NUMBERS Renovations, construction, site work and interior fixtures

$2,125,000

Endowment for ongoing utility and facility costs

$500,000

Professional fees and staffing

$225,000

Contingency fees

$150,000

HERE ARE THE FINANCES Projected Cost Estimate:

$3 MillioN By building on an empty lot we already own, the shelter will expand from its current 7,720 square feet to a total of 17,140 square feet. This includes growing from 48 to 57 beds, reconfiguring space to double the number of families we can serve, making the facility more accessible for people with disabilities, creating a storm shelter and providing space for case management and homeless prevention services, with all these features in one location.

a History of Building Stability Willis Dady Homeless Services has a history of financial stability and responsibility. The shelter carries no debt. By renovating existing space and building on adjacent land, and establishing an operational endowment, Willis Dady is maintaining its tradition of good financial stewardship. The renovation also will install a cost-effective heating system to help lower future costs.

Conceptual Plan

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You Can Help Build Stability “ I have an apartment that I can look around and say, ‘That’s mine.’

Open up my refrigerator, and it’s full of food that I bought. And I can have anything in there that I want. It just sounds like little things, but those little things … . I’ve got a key in my pocket that fits to a door that’s mine.

It’s awesome, man, it’s awesome.”

Jim Cannon Veteran and former Willis Dady client, featured on the cover

The capital campaign goal of $3 million is a significant, yet important investment. In launching this campaign, Willis Dady officials and supporters are inviting businesses, community leaders and individuals to make contributions. These contributions are vital, and we ask for your generous help.

Our expansion, renovations and improvements will require community-wide support. Building stability for individuals and families helps build stability for communities. Here are some points to remember: > Gifts may be made in cash or securities. > Gifts can include bequests, real estate, life insurance and personal property. > Matching gifts through your employer or spouse’s employer can double or even triple your gift. > Pledges are encouraged and may be extended over a period of up to three years. A reminder will be mailed to you each year.

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> Your gift may be made in honor or in memory of someone. A letter recognizing your gift will be mailed to the person you are honoring or the family of the person you are memorializing. > Your gift to Willis Dady is tax deductible to the greatest extent of the law.

NaMiNG oppoRTUNiTiES All donors to the Building From Shelter to Stability campaign will be recognized in a special list of contributors to be published at the conclusion of the campaign.

Contributors of $1,000 or more will be recognized on a permanent, centralized recognition display on site.

Many of the areas at the shelter may be named for an individual or organization as a result of a major gift. See our list below. Recognition of these gifts will appear in a prominent place in the designated area.

Naming Opportunity

Naming Amount

Front Entrance/Lobby

$200,000

Board Room

$150,000

Permanent Supportive Housing Apartment (4)

$100,000 $75,000

Family Apartment (8)

$50,000

Men’s Bedroom for Four (5)

$25,000

Men’s Living/Dining Area for Four (5)

$25,000

Executive Director Office

$15,000

Men’s Kitchen

$15,000

Men’s Restroom and Locker Area

$15,000

Private Shelter Room for Client With Special Needs

$15,000

Supportive Services for Veteran Families Offices (3)

$15,000

Accountant Office

$10,000

Administrative Assistant Office

$10,000

Case Manager Office

$10,000

Collaborative Office Space

$10,000

Development Office

$10,000

Donation Room (to house hygiene items, blankets, etc.)

$10,000

Family Laundry (2)

$10,000

Intake/Client Meeting Room

$10,000

Meeting/Conference Room

$10,000

Men’s Area Staff Office

$10,000

Men’s Laundry

$10,000

Office Supplies Storage

$10,000

Overnight Volunteer/Staff Room

$10,000

Prevention Coordinator Office

$10,000

Shelter Assistant Office/Front Desk

$10,000

Shelter Manager Office

$10,000

Staff Work Room

$10,000

Storm Shelter

$10,000

Volunteer Coordinator Office

$10,000

Donor Wall

$1,000+

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Family Kitchen and Dining Area (2)

Willis Dady Homeless Services and Campaign Leadership Campaign Steering Committee Jim Burke, co-chair Sam Jones, co-chair Jim Koch Joe Lock Janice McInally Quinn Pettifer John Swanson Phoebe Trepp Don Tyne Jason Vestweber Lisa Williams Honorary Steering Committee Jared and Carol Hills Kyle Skogman Larry Sharp Gary Streit Board of Directors Sam Jones, president Jim Burke, vice president Melissa Cullum, secretary Stephanie Harris, treasurer Sam Bergus Trisha Cornwell Al Fisher Jill Hawk Jim Koch Carletta Knox-Seymour Kayla Lyftogt Dave McInally John Oates Nick Scott Janet Slimak Gisele Tallman Jason Vestweber

Emeritus Board Members Carl Baur John Ehrhart John Weyer

Staff Administration Phoebe Trepp, executive director Pat Ford, bookkeeper Holli Erkson, VISTA volunteer Joseph Sorensen, administrative assistant Lisa Williams, development project coordinator Case Management, Prevention and Veteran Services Martha Carter, shelter case manager Emily Zimmon, homeless prevention Mark Brown, veteran outreach specialist Rebecca Egli, veteran advocate Ray Ropa, veteran advocate Shelter Services Denine Rushing, shelter manager Creighton Fox, resident assistant Isaiah Snead, resident assistant Roger Wiest, resident assistant

Willis Dady’s mission is to provide shelter and prevention services to the homeless and near-homeless, with the vision of empowering clients to break the cycle of homelessness and become self-sufficient.

1247 4th Ave. SE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52403 Phone: 319-362-7555, Fax: 319-362-7540 | Email: Development@WillisDady.org | WillisDady.org