By Clint Wolf - Feb 29th 2024
BELOIT
Family Services of Southern Wisconsin has launched a capital campaign with a goal of raising $3.6 million in support of the Next Steps Family Resilience Center in Beloit.
This marks a significant milestone in the organization’s 90 year history of working to restore, sustain, and enhance the lives of those living in Rock County.
Housed in the former Royce Elementary School in Beloit, The Next Steps Family Resilience Center will offer a variety of critical services, including case management, mental health therapy, children’s services and financial counseling. A childcare program will be offered in partnership with Community Action Inc. for up to 70 children. A transitional living program with 18 fully furnished apartments and common areas for residential families and a community room is included to offer space for events, educational classes, and more.
Children taking part in the childcare program do not have to be residents at the Next Step apartments.
Kelsey Hood-Christenson, president and CEO of Family Services, said the traditional model for this type of program that helps families transition from homelessness to self-sustainability would be to house a family for up to two years.
She added that after the initial fundraising for the construction cost, there would be a need to seek funds to sustain the program.
“I am confident this program will be sustainable with ongoing contributions and grant funds,” she said.
She said the program hits many of the points that Family Services already covers in its mission plan.
The Next Step project comes with a price tag of $7.7 million in construction costs. A significant portion of $5 million has been secured through Rock County and the City of Beloit ARPA funds (The American Rescue Plan Act).
Hood-Christenson said there have been contributions already to the project from the community.
It is important to note that there are a variety of contribution levels to this project, ensuring that every donation, regardless of size, makes a meaningful impact in transforming lives and building resilience within Rock County.
Construction on this center is anticipated to begin this April, with the program scheduled to open in spring of 2025.
The Angus Young firm based in Madison is the architect firm for the project. Hood-Christenson said negotiations are ongoing with a general contractor for the construction project.
The concept behind the Next Steps Family Resilience Center came from a desire to meet the most current and pressing community needs, as evidenced by statistics in Rock County:
- 23% of Rock County households are income-limited.
- 61% of Beloit residents stated that accessing childcare services was challenging or very difficult.
- 88% of Beloit residents in July 2023 agreed that childcare is unaffordable.
- 114 is the average number of days unhoused families with children wait for housing services in Rock County as of July 2023.
- 63% of the total childcare needs in Beloit are not being met with services available.
The holistic approach of the Next Steps Family Resilience Center is designed to break the cycle of generational poverty while fostering a robust and, engaged workforce and promoting community unity. Beyond providing basic needs, the center empowers adults with essential life skills, fosters early literacy and development in children, and strengthens family bonds. Family Services’ confidence in sustaining these services stems from its history of providing financially accessible support to resource-limited families.