Willis Dady Shelter to Receive Needed Improvements
Cedar Rapids-area leaders are teaming-up to make a big difference for homeless families. Members of the Leadership for Five Seasons Class of 2008 will spend the day at the Willis Dady Emergency Shelter in Cedar Rapids on Friday, May 9. The class, part of a program provided by the Cedar Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce for adult area business leaders, will be cleaning, painting and, thanks to the support of local donors and sponsors, furnishing the shelter with new furniture and curtains.
The Willis Dady Emergency Shelter serves area homeless single men and families. Statistics show more than 4,100 people are homeless in Linn County. Surprisingly, 84 percent of homeless Linn County families are female-headed households.
Libby Jensen, Executive Director of the Willis Dady Emergency Shelter is pleased with the project. “This project is very much in alignment with our mission to provide a clean, caring and safe environment for the homeless,” said Jensen. “We're often associated with helping mainly single men, though we also help single women and their teenage boys. Because donors often have more empathy for women and children, we tend to struggle with getting funding, so we’re very excited about the Leadership project support,” Jensen added.
The Willis Dady Emergency Shelter has been in operation since 1987 and serves homeless single men and families in the Linn County area. Through meeting basic needs, direction to appropriate community services, and a safe living environment, the Willis Dady Emergency Shelter provides the space for residents to move their focus from survival to self sufficiency. Willis Dady Emergency Shelter has served over 10,000 clients from over 30 different countries. They shelter an average of 265 single men and 82 family members per year.
“Our Leadership class chose to work with homeless shelters based off the United Way Needs Assessment where individuals felt affordable housing was an area of concern, and also because homelessness is one of the less visible areas in need,” said Leadership for Five Season Class of 2008 spokeswoman, Josie Heskje.
Leadership for Five Seasons is a program sponsored by the Cedar Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce. It is designed to prepare emerging and existing leaders in the Cedar Rapids area to be community trustees. The goal of the program is to supply our community with informed, skilled leaders willing to serve as active volunteers.
A special thanks to the following businesses for helping with this project: Jeff Jones Furniture, Smulekoff's Furniture, Klinger's Paint and ABC Waste Disposal.
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