ROCK ISLAND, Ill. — The YWCA Quad Cities is working to transform its old Rock Island location into the area's only youth homeless shelter.
Once up and running, the shelter will operate 24 hours a day. It will have the capacity to house 15 kids a night, ages 13-18.
The YWCA is currently in the process of becoming a licensed shelter through DCFS. Certain upgrades will have to be made to the old building, including new showers.
"One of the things that I think is really hard for people to grasp is that there are youth that are considered homeless in the Quad Cities," said Nicole Sodawasser, the Rock Island director for youth and outreach programs. "While we do have amazing programs designed to help prevent youth homelessness and to work with youth that have run away or been locked out of their homes, they don't always have places for the youth to go."
Often times, Sodawasser said, those providers look for foster homes, but there aren't always beds available.
"All the programs, this one included, will have a main goal of returning a youth to wherever their family or their guardian, safe, stable person is," she said. "But this will be a little bit different because we're going to have a time frame where that youth can get services started, get things in place while they're here. They'll be able to work with the case manager to get on that path, get on that path to working themselves to the next step up. And I know all the other programs do a lot of those same things, but they don't do that while the youth is in the shelter, where a worker is with that youth 24/7."
The youth shelter has been a long time goal for the YWCA. Sodawasser explained there hasn't been an overnight shelter like this for youth since the John Lewis Coffee Shop closed in 2008.
She recalled back in 2010 when the executive director of the Doris and Victor Day Foundation got a group together to start talking about a program like this, but it never came to fruition.
"Then when the Y broke ground on the new building and as progress was made, I called the executive director one day, and I said, 'Hey, what are you going to do with the old building? Wouldn't it be great if it was a youth shelter?'" Sodawasser said. "And here we are."
The YWCA is hosting a fundraising event for the shelter on Thursday, September 12. The public is invited to 'Purses, Pumps, and PIZZAZZ' event at the Quad Cities Waterfront Convention Center in Bettendorf.
"This chic affair promises an evening of fashion, fun, and philanthropy, with all proceeds dedicated to the development of a new Youth Shelter," the YWCA stated in a press release.
Guests can enjoy a silent and live auction, dancing with Double H Entertainment DJ's, a champagne wall and ice sculpture, appetizers and a dinner, as well as fundraising challenges, a "Best in Show" contest and a perfect purse contest.
The money raised will go directly toward the development of the youth shelter.
Cocktail hour will begin at 5:30 p.m. with dinner starting at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are available for purchase here. If you wish to simply donate to the cause, you can do so here.
Sodawasser is hoping construction on the old YWCA building can begin soon. Her goal is to open the new shelter this winter, but the timeline is up in the air depending on construction and licensing.
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