News release
First Call for Help of Ellis County will have an open house and ribbon cutting on Tuesday to celebrate the official completion of its First Step Housing Project, 607 E. 13th.
The open house will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with the ribbon cutting ceremony at 4 p.m., said Linda Mills, First Call’s executive director. Parking is available on Montgomery Street.
The $250,000 project will provide transitional housing for up to eight individuals in need of housing for up to six months at a time. First Call is currently accepting applications for the first residents.
Those individuals must be residents of Ellis County, must pass drug and alcohol screening, must have no felony convictions for violent crimes, and must be “committed to striving for stability in future housing,” Mills said. All will be expected to hold jobs and to complete an online “financial literacy” course provided by the FDIC.
The First-Step Housing Project features four bedrooms, each with a private handicapped-accessible bathroom, and a common kitchen and laundry area.
The project, which took six years from planning to completion, is the first ever of its kind in Ellis County, Mills said. Applications are available by calling (785) 623-2800.
Donors contributing $5,000 and more include the Schmidt Foundation, Dane G. Hansen Foundation, Ellis County Ministerial Alliance, Union Pacific Foundation, Ellis County Cares Fund, United Methodist Foundation, Heartland Community Foundation, Ellis County Bar Association, and two anonymous donors.
Mills emphasized that it was the “countless individual donors who contributed between $5 and $5,000" that helped First Call achieve its $250,000 goal.
Items still needed for the housing units are listed on the organization’s website, www.firstcallelliscounty.com, by clicking on the “Needs List” button. Donated items must be new.