DAVENPORT, Iowa — Local nonprofit One Eighty has bought a new property and has already started renovating it into a special kind of women’s home. One Eighty executive director Rusty Boruff says it’ll be a completely different building once they’re done with it.
It’s a combination of one, two, and three-bedroom apartment units, with seven total available for rent. The entire property is scheduled to be renovated in the next six months with the first two units done in the next two months.
“For years we've been faced with women who have restored their lives, restored their relationship with their kids,” Boruff said. “However because we didn't have the ability to house those kids, those mothers were forced to find somewhere else to live.”
The seven-apartment unit building is designed specifically for women looking to rebuild relationships with their children after finishing One Eighty’s 14-month rehabilitation program.
Boruff says they have plenty of housing options for women, but none that take into account children.
“Nowadays for women regaining custody of their kids, they need an apartment to be able to have joint custody or full custody or even visitations and none of the facilities have that own living space for that to happen,” Boruff said.
Boruff has had his eyes on the property since 2012. He says he’s called the owner of the building every year since then to see if they wanted to sell.
After the owner of the building passed away this past year, One Eighty was able to come to an agreement with those in charge.
“I knew that this was the one that we wanted because it’s tough to find a facility like this so close in this neighborhood that really connects so well with what our end goal is,” Boruff said.
He estimates the project should cost between $250,000 and $300,000 dollars.