By BECKY KISER
Hays Post
Hays city commissioners quizzed representatives of First Call For Help (FCFH) for more than 30 minutes Thursday night as Linda Mills, executive director, laid out the request for $30,000 from the city towards construction of transitional housing comprised of four units.
"First Step Housing" will be located in the back of the FCFH building, 607 E. 13th, Hays, which is currently undergoing renovation.
The back of the building is secured from the FCFH offices in the front and residents will have their own entrance.
The first-ever temporary housing will be open only to Ellis County residents who may live there for up to six months after meeting several qualifications, including drug screening.
"They have to have a commitment and a desire to succeed at providing themselves with stable housing," Mills told commissioners. "They must be employed or looking for a job."
"We're calling this 'First Step Housing' because for some of the participants that will be in the program, it will be a first step. It may be a first step in starting over but it will still be a first step."
She emphasized this will not be just a place to live.
"It's a place where they can learn and grow, work out obstacles they may have faced in the past," Mills said. "We're going to be working with them a lot about budgeting, about renting, how to find that apartment that fits your budget and make sure it's in the shape you need it to be in."
Laura Allen, client services manager, will become the case manager for the four households living in First Step Housing, which can accommodate individuals, couples and small families. Insurance liability disallows single women and single men occupying the building at the same time.
Mayor Sandy Jacobs asked how the need for temporary housing in Ellis County was determined.
The numbers come from FCFH based on its daily interaction with residents needing some type of household assistance.
"In 2020, we did help 78 households with emergency finances for their rent or utilities," Mills reported. "That was a total of 215 people, including 89 children."
There were another 51 individuals and households who contacted FCFH several times saying "they did not have a place to live. They were being evicted, or being booted out of a friend's or family's house they'd been living at, or, some have said they're living with someone but it's not a good situation and they need to get out of it."
"Four units is not enough," said Allen, "but it's what we have room for and it's a start."
"I feel this is a need for Hays, said Shaun Musil, commissioner. "I personally don't think it's big enough, but I don't know where you get the money to make it bigger."
Fundraising for the transitional housing began in 2019. Two major fundraisers had to be cancelled in 2020 because of COVID.
The construction, being done by Paul-Wertenberger, Hays, is estimated to cost $227,000; $160,000 of that has been raised.
FCFH board members hope the remaining $67,000 will be raised soon in order for the project to be completed in June.
Initial concrete work for water drains and plumbing, window openings in block walls and framing of interior walls is has been finished.
FCFH has received large grants of $25,000 from Union Pacific Railroad and $50,000 from the Dane G. Hansen Foundation in Logan.
Another $20,000 for construction costs came from federal CARES Act funding for Ellis County.
The local Schmidt Foundation is matching donations up to $50,000 for the First Step Building campaign through June 30. Only individual and business donations will be matched. According to Mills, about $7,000 has been raised since Feb. 1.
The Ellis County Ministerial Alliance made a donation to create a large meeting room and another office in the front end of the building. Those funds are not part of the construction budget.
Mills says online donations to FCFH have been steady.
"We have one anonymous donor who paid off his house and he sends us his house payment every month. That was a direct tie-in for him and something that he wanted to see happen."
The city of Hays has helped support FCFH for several years through its social services funding and the CARE Council, noted commissioner Ron Mellick.
Commissioner Musil pointed out the city's budget is already set for this year.
"What if somebody else has a project and they want $20,000? Is it going to continue every year? And then what do we do for a budget?
"We've always done a really good job with what our budget is, and this is what we play with.
"That's what makes me nervous," Musil said. "Anything we do like that is kind of precedent-setting," added Jacobs.
According to Toby Dougherty, city manager, the requested funds would need to come from the commission capital reserve because the 2021 budget does not have an allocation to absorb a $30,000 nonplanned expenditure.
"I would like to see this completed one way or the other," said Michael Berges, commissioner. He suggested FCFH continue its fundraising and return to the commission in late April or early May, when the financial need and funding request would likely be smaller.
"We definitely want to fund you," said Mellick, "but I think Michael makes a good point. ... We're going to see where you're actually at."
Mills said the construction work is being done and paid for with cash FCFH has in hand.
Commissioners agreed they didn't want the project halted due to no cash flow.
"Construction in Hays is booked out right now," Berges said. "So if they stopped .... To get them back on site may delay the project."
Mills noted the construction budget might change based on the type of fire suppression system that is selected.