Sixteen domestic violence and homeless shelters around Iowa are getting state funding for renovations and new construction. Governor Chet Culver visited the Willis Dady Emergency Shelter in Cedar Rapids today to announce that nearly 10-million dollars in I-JOBS funding will go to shelters throughout the state.
“Last year more than 17,000 people sought help at Iowa’s shelters, Culver said. “Nearly 8,000 of these clients were members of families and close to 40% of them were children. As long as there is one family in need of services, it’s our goal and our responsibility, I think, to try to help those individuals and those families.”
Tim Wilson, executive director of the shelter in Cedar Rapids, says there is an increased demand for services. “We have been very full from the spring through the summer on the men’s beds and particularly the family units. Lately, we’ve been turning away many more people than we can actually accommodate,” Wilson said.
Most of the shelters, including the one in Cedar Rapids, are receiving funding for renovations. The I-JOBS money will also help finance the construction of three new facilities in Des Moines, Iowa City and Sioux Center.