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Emergency warming shelter now open in downtown Rock Island

The former headquarters for Project Now will be the future site for the temporary shelter.
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Update: (01/17/24) In an email statement, Project NOW is set to open its temporary emergency shelter Friday night, Jan. 17th, at 9. The shelter has 40 beds for individuals and families until 7 the following morning. Christian Care is partnering with Project NOW, offering breakfast and showers to those seeking refuge at 418 19th Street. The shelter runs until April 15th.

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An emergency warming shelter is set to open in Rock Island within the coming weeks.

On Monday, January 13, the Rock Island City Council passed an agreement with Project NOW to transform its former headquarters at 418 19th Street into a provisional warming shelter.

Project NOW Executive Director, Reverend Dwight Ford
Project NOW
Project NOW Executive Director, Reverend Dwight Ford

Executive Director, Reverend Dwight Ford said the shelter will house around 50 people and open at 9 pm each evening. Christian Care will provide showers and meals, he said.

“This is the only low-barrier shelter in our Quad Cities, and what I mean by low-barrier is you don’t have to be a part of a program," Ford said. "You can show up right out of prison with Department of Correction clothing on.”

Ford says he is hoping to get the shelter up and running as soon as possible, with cold weather moving in and the need for housing rapidly increasing.

The property is zoned for business use, but the temporary refuge falls under the city’s residential use code. This classification requires the building to have a sprinkler system on each floor.

Ford says the city has allowed the shelter to operate without a sprinkler system under certain fire measures.

“We’ll have to make sure that we have a fire watch schedule as well. The fire watch on each floor of the property will have to happen," Ford said. "We have to be diligent and paying attention for any obstructions to any exit.”

Ford says that once given the “thumbs up” from the fire marshall and the City of Rock Island, the shelter will be open for men, women, and families.

The shelter is scheduled to remain open until mid-April.