STERLING, Ill. — In January 2024, News 8 reported on a Sterling homeless shelter in need of a new roof. On Friday, April 19, that need was fulfilled. Nearly 50 students from the Whiteside Area Career Center teamed up with Total Construction Services to install the new roof.
"We used to average about six to 10 people a night, now we're at 25-plus a night," Twin Cities Homeless Shelter Director Myles Newbury said.
Newbury says a new roof was a must, as the old roof would leak during storms.
"We sit perfectly east to west," Newbury said. "So when the storms come in from the west, they hit us hard sometimes, and that has really taken a toll on our roof."
Over the holidays, Newbury says the Sterling shelter raised $70,000, which is double the amount from the previous year.
For the students on Friday's build, it was a tremendous opportunity to receive hands-on training.
"It really gives you a different point of view from just sitting in the classroom to going out there and actually doing the job, doing what you're going to do when you graduate," Whiteside Area Career Center student Israel Alvarado said.