116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Willis Dady receives $50K Lowe’s Hometowns grant to make veteran housing ADA accessible
The nonprofit is one of 100 grant recipients from the Lowe’s Hometowns project
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CEDAR RAPIDS — Willis Dady Homeless Services has received a $50,000 grant from the Lowe’s Hometowns project, a five-year project in its fourth year that will distribute $100 million to hundreds of finalists out of thousands of applicants to restore and revitalize communities.
The nonprofit shelter is using the $50,000 to cover a large portion of ADA renovation costs for its Westminster House, a shelter used to house four veterans as part of the organization’s Permanent Supportive Housing, or PSH, program.
The PSH program helps provide stable and occasionally assisted housing to the persistently homeless and who face barriers to housing.
Westminster House has two floors, with two residents on each with a bathroom and kitchen on either floor. Willis Dady Facilities Director Steven Lovejoy said the nonprofit was one of 4,000 applicants and among only 100 selected grant recipients.
Renovations will begin in September and last through November. The two residents of the top floor will remain in the house while the first floor residents will temporarily relocate to a hotel because the first floor needs the ADA additions, Lovejoy said.
Willis Dady is prioritizing its veteran house to receive ADA improvements, such as widened hallways, increased wheelchair accessibility — like lower kitchen countertops and specially designed showers — and an ADA-compliant entryway, Lovejoy said. He said they are moving the laundry to the first floor porch as well.
“Now we won’t have to turn anyone away that is in a wheelchair,” Willis Dady Veteran Program Manager Shannon Fay said in the release.
Willis Dady purchased the Westminster House and opened it for veteran housing in 2023, Lovejoy said.
“This house has made my life 150% better,” one of the residents said, according to the release.
Lovejoy said this project will enhance their ability to provide housing to veterans and others who need permanent supportive housing.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity,” he said, “and we’re thankful for it.”
Willis Dady asks any donations to be mailed in cash or check form to 1247 Fourth Ave. SE, or made online at willisdady.org/donate.
Comments: 641-691-8669; evan.watson@thegazette.com
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