As temperatures drop dangerously low this weekend, the city of Rock Island is partnering with Project NOW to open an emergency overnight shelter at the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center, 630 9th St., Rock Island.
It will operate between 9 p.m. Friday, Dec. 12, to 7 a.m. Monday, Dec. 15, including food and snacks. It was not clear Thursday how many beds would be provided at the King Center, which is up to the city Fire Marshal to decide. For more information on the shelter, call 309-520-2452.
MLK director Jerry Jones said Thursday that City Manager Todd Thompson reached out to partners to see if the King Center could be a resource for the community in need of shelter this coming weekend as the temperatures dropped well below zero, placing many lives at risk and in danger.
“And it was in that moment that we were challenged to see if we were able to step into this leadership role,” Jones said. “Certainly, it exemplifies the level of concern and heart the city has for the issues that are facing our community, our region. And it gave us the opportunity to start step into this role of providing emergency shelter here at the Martin Luther King Center.
“I was able to come back to our team and discuss is this a viable option for the King Center? And by happenstance, considering the lack of use of our facility this weekend, we're able to step into this role,” he said. “It also is the fact that this is an emergency situation that allows us to step into this role. Providing a space for Project NOW to operate an emergency shelter during this emergency time this coming weekend.”
Rev. Dwight Ford, executive director of Project NOW, said he first got a call from Jones at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday about the need for a temporary shelter at MLK Center.
“And so we started from 1:30 and we gave ourselves a deadline to say we have to have a soft plan that can transport and move by noon the next day,” Ford said. “We did that and so we worked all through the evening, worked first thing this morning.”
In the past, emergency winter shelters have been provided by King’s Harvest and Humility Homes in Davenport, which are no longer available. Project NOW at its old location across the main Rock Island Public Library provided a temporary shelter for three days last January over the King federal holiday weekend.
“We're not new to cold weather. The difference is that we always had secure contracts with five years in advance that ran through with Humility and of course King's Harvest,” Ford said. “So what was always in place was the emergency winter overflow shelter that was low barrier that would normally be in operation December 1st. And so that's why we start December 1st so it doesn't run into the harshest weather immediately.
“So that's the only difference now that we don't currently have for the region,” he said. “This is a regional challenge. No one city has ever owned in its entirety the reality of the winter overflow low barrier shelter. It may be housed in the city, but it has always been a response from the region. The city governments contribute to it. The police and law enforcement work together on it. The councils are in communication and for sure the city managers and the city administrators work behind the scenes whenever there is one because it takes a regional response to this challenge.”
This time the effort results from “a longstanding conversation, many different individuals coming forward and institutions and organizations fighting for a pathway that was not developed at the time,” Ford said. “We are a longstanding partner.”
“This would not be possible unless we're always in constant dialogue with ecosystem of care transitions,” he said.
Since the same kind of situation happened last January, with Project NOW operating a temporary “Lift Now” homeless shelter, they have learned lessons.
“We also want to let the public know there will be three meals a day and snacks. And so we are organizing the food. The kitchen has been made available to us,” Ford said. “There are many partners and individuals that want to help us and supply the resources.”
Seven people from the Project NOW staff will be paid overtime to help staff the King Center shelter, along with volunteers from The Third Place in downtown Rock Island and local churches.
“This will be not possible unless we've already had an existing ecosystem,” Ford said, noting he was on his way back from Rhode Island earlier this week, and his phone was lighting up from people concerned of subzero weather on the way.
“People were saying we're in trouble. If we don't have a shelter by the end of the week, somebody's going to die,” he said.
Donations needed at King Center Friday
Ford said donations are needed of snacks, soft granola bars, bottled water, coffee grounds, paper towels, toiletries, wet wipes, socks, underwear, sweat pants, sweatshirts, and hand/foot warmers. Donations are sought Friday, Dec. 12 at the King Center from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Robert Young Crisis Mobile Unit will be on site in the parking lot, to provide support to those in need.
“We've already been in communication with law enforcement and all of the partners in emergency assistance, the team that works with ambulance care and we'll be notifying hospitals as well in case there's a person being exposed to the elements that struggle and fumble their way into the door,” Ford said. “We can actually get them the care they need.”
Project NOW is working with The Third Place in downtown Rock Island (2000 3rd Ave.) to get transportation for anyone who needs from MLK Center to there Monday morning.
“We could not be more thrilled and appreciative of the use of this beautiful building that allows us to be able to have people not simply on top of each other, but a little bit more space and some of the egress rooms for other activities to occur as well,” Ford said of the King Center.
“We're going to save lives and I think that's where the focus should be. And things that we differ on as a society become small. When the things that are major presses before our conscience, which is the saving of a human life, we can figure the rest out. We have three days to do that and I'm so thankful that we have a chance just not to shelter, but to save a life,” he said.
Rock Island Ald. (and Mayor Pro Tem) Mark Poulos complimented the partners and their quick response.
“Our City Manager, Todd Thompson, reached out and called the aldermen -- Are you in favor of this? We absolutely are. Because contrary to what has been said, we do care about the homeless,” he said. “We care about their circumstances, we care about the problems that they're facing.”
“We're just grateful that our partners were able to mobilize in such a quick manner to make this happen,” Poulos said. “I also hope that people understand that this is not a Rock Island thing. This is a regional problem. And the leaders of the different organizations, the different cities, the different counties, we need to come together, we need to get this plan together and work together as a region to make things better for those that are less fortunate.”
What happens next?
Rock Island is reaching out to other cities and organizations to address the problem of a more permanent winter overnight shelter.
“A lot of that is happening with the assistance of our city manager to find out what resources are available and when we could have a sit-down discussion with them, with the city managers of the different cities, municipalities and county,” Poulos said.
“The work doesn't stop with this,” Ford emphasized. “We have to keep fighting for a pathway forward and city governments have a part to play in this. Nonprofits, institutions, business, community, everyone. This is our shared reality. And more importantly, we just don't share space. We share humanity.
“And I want to thank City Manager Thompson as well for brokering the hard question, trying to hash out how do we care for the most vulnerable now?” he added. “And now that this is secure, we’ll keep fighting for what's next. And you can see how fast things can come together, not only with staffers for the city, but also with city elected officials, partners that are at the table and a region worth of friends who said what can I do to help? So this gives us some light. It may not be long to many but for those that we're working with, every hour makes a difference toward their lives.”
There is no timetable for coming up with a regional winter shelter solution, Ford noted.
“And we'll take one day at a time. Matter of fact, one minute at a time,” he said. “Miracles don't happen in hours. Miracles happen in seconds. I'll take whatever I can get.”
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