PADS announces plans for major 2-year expansion

Need arises after number of homeless families at local shelters doubled last year

Staff
Posted 6/21/18

PERU - An ambitious two-year master plan has been unveiled by Illinois Valley PADS. Executive Director Carol Alcorn said due to the number of homeless families and individuals on the rise, the plan includes a building expansion at the Peru shelter, new program support opportunities and program hours, appointment of new staff, and the opening of a second resale shop in Ottawa.

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PADS announces plans for major 2-year expansion

Need arises after number of homeless families at local shelters doubled last year

Posted

PERU - An ambitious two-year master plan has been unveiled by Illinois Valley PADS. Executive Director Carol Alcorn said due to the number of homeless families and individuals on the rise, the plan includes a building expansion at the Peru shelter, new program support opportunities and program hours, appointment of new staff, and the opening of a second resale shop in Ottawa.

Founded by Sister Margaret Suerth in 1991, IV PADS began its compassionate journey to help the homeless by placing mattress pads on the floors of local churches and enlisting volunteers to serve food that was donated by local hospitals. Each night, the sleeping pads were packed up and moved to new locations.

From those humble beginnings, IV PADS has consistently improved upon its mission and now operates two permanent shelters, located in Peru and Ottawa, for homeless individuals (at least 18 years of age) and families. Clients are offered a secure place to stay each night (excluding June, July and August), three meals per day, and laundry and shower facilities. Additionally, PADS’ comprehensive programs include case management, assessments, individualized service plans, educational opportunities, support group services, and professional referrals. Personal items such as toiletries, clothing, medicine and other necessities are distributed as needed.

People who are homeless find themselves in shelters primarily due to the loss of income. Alcorn noted that most (90 percent) of the people who use IV PADS services are from the local area. During the past shelter season, PADS served 349 individuals, which included 30 families with a total of 58 children. With the help of area communities, the PADS program has served 31,106 meals, returned 81 people to independent living, and assisted 84 individuals in finding employment.

One of the more striking numbers Alcorn noted is the number of families with children who were served at PADS, which has quadrupled since 2007 and doubled since 2017. This statistic became a critical factor in the organization’s plans for the future.

To help families with children, the Ottawa shelter is moving up its opening date to Aug. 15 this year. This is an effort to accommodate school-aged homeless children so they can register and start school at the same time as their peers. Meanwhile, the Peru shelter will open on Sept. 1 this year and both locations will remain open through May 31, 2019. Daily hours will be 5 p.m. until 9 a.m.

Long term plans in response to the alarming increase of families served at IV PADS will address the lack of family-unit rooms at the Peru shelter and the ongoing process of maintaining and replacing bed sleeping pads. To accomplish this goal, the PADS board is launching dual campaigns to better meet the needs of the population it serves, particularly families.

Expansion plans

The campaigns, “Waking with Hope” (bed sponsorship) and “Expanding Our Space…Expanding Hope” (construction of an addition at the Peru shelter), will run concurrently. By supporting these efforts, donors have an opportunity to impact the lives of our poorest neighbors in various ways, whether securing a clean bed pad for a homeless person or naming a room in someone’s honor. “I am looking forward to working with the members of our communities on these campaigns to assist families and children in this upgraded manner,” Alcorn commented.

The Waking with Hope program offers opportunities for individuals, churches, civic groups and businesses to immediately impact PADS’ ability to provide sanitary and upgraded sleeping pads and bedding for men, women and children at the shelter. Purchasing new pads, bed linen, pillows and baby blankets will be made possible through a donor’s campaign participation that is associated with corresponding recognition.

The most critical component of PADS’ growth plan is expansion of the Peru shelter through its building campaign. Plans are for a 5,800-square-foot building addition to add four family rooms, an enlarged classroom, expanded men’s and women’s beds, and children’s playroom as well as an expanded dining room and more bathrooms. To date, foundations, companies, churches, civic groups, and individuals have donated $140,000 toward the $400,000 campaign goal, which amounts to half of the construction cost. Groundbreaking for the building addition is tentatively set for spring 2019.

Information on both campaigns is available at PADS’ newly updated website, http://ivpads.com/expanding-our-space. Gifts to the campaigns or to the operation of the shelters can be made at www.ivpads.com or sent to P.O. Box 1012, LaSalle, IL 61301. Further campaign information can be obtained by contacting Carol Alcorn at (815) 224-3047.

“I am sincerely grateful for the support of the LaSalle, Putnam and Bureau county communities for the past 26 years,” Alcorn emphasized. “It is amazing how the PADS board, staff, volunteers, and facilities have grown to serve the most marginalized members of our communities.”

New staff

Additionally, a new staff member, Alison Cooper was hired in April as PADS’ Outreach and Development Coordinator. Cooper holds a Bachelor of Science degree in business and serves as the contact for fundraisers, speaking engagements, donations to the shelters and tours of PADS facilities. “Alison initially became involved with IV PADS as a volunteer by providing meals and now will apply her many talents to the PADS team,” Alcorn noted.

For Cooper, volunteering and fundraising were activities she grew up with. “I am happy to give back through this position by applying my experience in marketing, event planning and social media coordination,” she said. “Bringing out the stories of success, planning functions and interacting with this amazing network of professionals for the greater good of those in need is truly an amazing opportunity I’m thrilled to share with the community.”

Lily Pads Too

Another new addition at PADS was the recent opening of a second resale store, Lily Pads Too, which is located at 411 E. Stevenson Road in Ottawa. The new store was established to provide ongoing financial support to PADS shelter programs, in the same way as the original Lily Pads store in Peru. Hope Alyea, who brings a wealth of experience as well as a strong desire to help people, is the store manager at Lily Pads Too.

Alyea worked with other newly hired staff, board and leadership team members to set up the donation center. A majority of the fixtures for the new location were acquired from the closing of several local retail stores. Volunteers have assisted with donation collections, readying items for resale and the sale of items. The donation center began accepting drop-offs on June 13. A list of accepted resale items is posted online at http://ivpads.com/lily-pads-donations and on both store’s Facebook pages. Staff and volunteers are on hand to assist with unloading of items. (Larger donated items may need prior staff approval and will require advance phone calls to (815) 313-5776.) The Ottawa store hours are Monday through Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Looking back, Alcorn recalled how PADS’ very first resale shop got its start. In 2005, prior to opening Lily Pads, extra donations were given to a local resale shop. One day it dawned on Alcorn that they should sell the items themselves to support PADS. At that time, the Peru shelter was empty five months of the year but still had annual financial obligations and maintenance upkeep. The first efforts to create a resale shop began with very successful “garage sales” that were held at the shelter with beds pushed against the walls to serve as shelving for items obtained during the off-season.

Profits from those initial shelter garage sales funded the “Little Blue House” in downtown Peru followed by construction of Lily PADS at 4471 Progress Boulevard and its subsequent expansion. For 12 years, Lily Pads has provided significant financial support to shelter operations, along with furnishings and household items for clients moving out of homelessness.

Volunteers

A variety of day- and night-time volunteer opportunities are available at the Peru and Ottawa shelters, as well as daytime hours at both resale stores. Tasks done by shelter volunteers include making and serving supper and breakfast meals, putting donations away or simply visiting with people who need PADS services. During the summer season, help is needed at the shelters for cleaning, maintenance, painting and organization projects. Volunteer applications and additional information is available online at http://ivpads.com/volunteer/.