New type of transitional home opens in Sioux City

Ground will be broken today in Sioux City for a new homeless shelter and transitional housing unit. Michaele Hoelscher is a spokeswoman for the agency that’s building the new shelter. She says it’s the first of its kind in Iowa that is transition housing and a shelter.Hoelscher says the homeless shelter will have 16 units that connect to a common kitchen and living room area. The second floor will be set up in a similar way, but with refrigerators and microwaves in each room to promote independent living.Those who live in the second floor “transitional housing” units will pay rent, but also get job training and money management tips.Hoelscher says the facility should open in about a year. It’ll be for families or for single women, not single men.