Project NOW is “turning a corner” and getting ready to move to a new home. The Rock Island-based nonprofit soon will begin moving into a renovated Star Cres International Building, located at 1820 Second Ave., Rock Island. If all goes according to plan, some Project NOW services and employees will move from its current home […]
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Project NOW is “turning a corner” and getting ready to move to a new home.
The Rock Island-based nonprofit soon will begin moving into a renovated Star Cres International Building, located at 1820 Second Ave., Rock Island. If all goes according to plan, some Project NOW services and employees will move from its current home a few blocks away at 418 19th St. to the updated building by this fall – probably before Halloween, agency leaders said.
The goal is to eventually have all Project NOW programs under one roof at the Star Cres. The larger space also will allow its homeless prevention services to expand.
“Our agency is turning a corner. …. This building will allow us to have sure footing in a world that is constantly changing,” the Rev. Dwight Ford, executive director of Project NOW, said Friday afternoon, July 26, during a ceremonial groundbreaking held on the first floor of the office building.
More than 50 people attended the ceremony, which was held in the former Wells Fargo Bank location inside the Star Cres. That former bank branch will be converted into a colorful and friendly reception area for Project NOW clients during Phase One of the massive renovation project.
The goal is to make the location a “nice, welcoming place for clients,” said Jenni Swanson, Rock Island City Council Fourth Ward alderman.
She added that Project NOW’s services are needed now more than ever because of its work to help homeless people and to help prevent people from becoming homeless. “Most people are just one bump in life from being homeless,” said Ms. Swanson.
That first-floor space that will help those facing those bumps in life still resembles a bank office today. There are teller windows with FDIC signs and pens attached to small chains. But in the coming weeks, the $250,000 Phase One project will transform the former bank. Some of the projects will include:
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- Office additions: Creating modern and efficient office space.
- Kitchenette renovation: Upgrading kitchenette area for a more comfortable and functional space.
- Painting: Refreshing the environment.
- Data upgrade: Enhancing data infrastructure to meet the demands of the future.
- Estes Construction, headquartered in Davenport, is the contractor for the project. The City of Rock Island earmarked $250,000 of its American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money – dedicated to preventing and ending homelessness – for this project.