Nearing the halfway point of a local overnight and weekend shelter’s operations, the need in the Quad Cities has nearly doubled since last year.
Project NOW President and CEO Rev. Dwight Ford says that since the Lift Now shelter opened in late January in downtown Moline, over 150 people have been served, up from 180 persons who stayed over 12-weeks last year at the non-profit’s emergency shelter in downtown Rock Island.
He said the Lift Now shelter is averaging 49 residents, with some nights reaching 55 people. Ford says they’ve contracted with MetroLink to provide rides from the shelter to daytime services in Rock Island. Ford mentioned one example is The Third Place QC, which is a daytime shelter offering snacks, restrooms, and connections to other service providers
“And as they arrive in Rock Island, they're also able to go to Project Now Christian Care for showers and for the meal, and then we transport back in the evening," Ford said. "And that's an expense that we did not see coming, but we're gladly investing in such.”
Other organizations, such as the Robert Young Mental Health Center, provide services outside the emergency shelter every Saturday. Ford says they’ve helped 25 people receive or adjust their medications.
Additionally, every weekend night, Ford says meals are provided by local chef Yolanda Jefferson, owner of the Chefy Bear on Wheels Community Project and Blck Pearl Catering.
The non-profit is working with multiple municipalities to find a permanent, year-round low-barrier shelter location.
“We have never ceased the conversation, working with other cities, asking and inquiring, and having them really open their arms to us,” Ford said. “So we've worked with East Moline in conversation. City of Moline, of course, we've been in dialogue with Silvis in conversation on how to support them as well. I am so proud of the Illinois Quad Cities and doing their best to try to assist the efforts in finding a long-term campus reality that would allow us to not only do the winter overflow shelter, which is a low barrier, but an extended shelter operation.”
He says they were able to find permanent housing for 14 people last year, and they are still there today.
“Because it's not just about the numbers for us, it's about the lived experience," Ford said. "When people are housed, we just don't secure their future. We actually can save a life, and that's the most important thing.”
Residents who want to help can find updated lists of donation items on their social media page. They can also sign up to volunteer at the overnight shelter.
The non-profit is also reminding residents about the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).
“We have essentially provided almost an average of almost $1,000 per household in the benefit. And this really helps keep families secure,” Ford said. “If we could provide the benefit of almost $1,000 for the household, then that means that $1,000 could go back to living expenses and maybe even rent or mortgage to keep people housed. So LIHEAP is the flagship; we'll get close to spending almost $6 million worth of investment by the end of the season, and the numbers will fluctuate as many as we can get into the corridor.”
Project NOW will host the 4th Annual Rooting Out Poverty Conference in Bettendorf on April 9th.
“[T]o generate public awareness, more personal responsibility in the matter and also public will and hopefully even better public policy,” Ford said. “But people have to be aware of the challenges in housing, healthcare, education, and justice. Food insecurity and transportation are involved with economics. So this gives us a very well-rounded way to talk about how we can collectively, as a region, move people up and out of poverty.”
The shelter will remain open until April 15th.
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