Willis Dady steps toward expansion, increasing emergency shelter services

CEDAR RAPIDS - Long-discussed renovation and expansion plans for Willis Dady Emergency Shelter cleared one hurdle last week, but more work remains, shelter officials said.

The plans would enlarge the facility at 1247 Fourth Ave. SE by 50 percent, add additional beds for single men and families, and address accessibility limitations. As it is, staff must turn away people in wheelchairs and with other disabilities because they can't climb stairs or get through doorways, said Phoebe Trepp, the executive director of Willis Dady.

'We seek out ways to provide long-term solutions in addition to being a safety net for people just trying to survive,” Trepp said. 'One step we have to take is to be a better, stronger agency.”

A rezoning request to convert grounds from office to multifamily residential passed through the City Planning Commission without a hitch last week. Next up, Cedar Rapids City Council is to vote, tentatively with final approval in late January.

But the biggest challenge is likely to be raising the $3 million to complete the project many say is needed in Cedar Rapids.

Willis Dady considers itself a safety net for people on the verge of homelessness, providing emergency shelter and support as people try to get back on their feet.

The agency owns the building and land where it has spent 25 of its 29 years. The two-story blue building was a former Department of Corrections facility. It's not efficiently designed and outdated for the current use as the primary shelter for single men and families in Cedar Rapids, Trepp said.

The expansion would add 15,000 square feet to the 31,000-square-foot building, according to planning commission memos. The total number of beds for men would increase from 16 to 25 and the number of family apartment-style units from four to eight. The entire space would be updated, including wider doorways throughout, updated heating and air, and an elevator to the second flood where the family units are located, Trepp said.

'If you are single man in a wheelchair there is not shelter in Cedar Rapids that can accommodate you, so you are asked to go to Iowa City or stay outside,” Trepp said. 'We'd like to modify that.”

The plan would also see construction of a basement to serve as a storm shelter, expand administration space to fit the entire 14-person staff, and create room to host community partners and for private one-on-one meetings with clients.

The hope is to also expand services, so third-shift workers have a place to rest during the day, Trepp said. As it is, the beds are not available during the day when clients are expected to be out looking for work or to address their long-term living situation, she said.

Carletta Knox-Seymour, a Willis Dady board member, said the expanded services are needed.

'So many things are needed in this community for homeless individuals,” Knox-Seymour said. 'This is a start. This is a good start.”

Justin Wasson, president of Wellington Heights Neighborhood Association, said Willis Dady has done their due diligence in explaining the plan to the neighborhood, and he personally supports it.

'To date, I have not heard any opposition to this project,” Wasson said. 'I think the fact you aren't going to hear any opposition speaks volumes because we are a very vocal neighborhood.”

Members of the zoning commission only spoke favorably as they forwarded the rezoning request to the City Council with a unanimous recommendation during a meeting last Thursday.

'It really does need some rehabbing and there's some inefficient things in it,” Richard Pankey, a commission member, told Willis Dady staff at the meeting. 'I applaud what Willis Dady is doing. I am excited for the project and what it does for the population you serve.”

Willis Dady appears on solid footing with policy makers, but the fundraising piece looms. Raising money of this kind is new territory for the agency and its staff, Trepp said.

They have been having conversations with potentially large partners on the project, but a more formal, public fundraising effort is to come, Trepp said. The timeline for construction remains up in the air, she said.

'This is a big undertaking for Willis Dady,” Trepp said. 'There's not a lot of fundraising activities beyond providing the services. This is not something we do everyday. This is a once-in-a-lifetime project, and we have a lot of steps to get through.”

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