New Building and New Location
By Melissa Palfrey
From October of 2019 to September of 2020, Family Advocates received 393 calls for shelter that could not be met due to the shelter being at capacity. Family Advocates had reached a point where not only had the emerging need for services outgrown our capacity but also the need for additional safety, security and privacy for victims had surpassed our limitations.
Minor renovations over the years kept the agency providing assistance to families in a limited capacity, but the Board of Directors and Staff at Family Advocates recognized the need for a more permanent solution. Fund development and grant writing became crucial components of our strategic plan to gain the critical funding needed to build a new shelter.
Then on March 3, 2022, Governor Tony Evers telephoned the City Manager to announce Family Advocates had, in fact, received a 3.5 million dollar grant to build a much needed, new shelter through the Wisconsin Neighborhood Investment Fund with support provided by the American Rescue Plan Act. This is where our journey began.
Family Advocates forged several community partnerships in order to break ground and launch the construction of the new shelter at 305 Eastside Road in Platteville. The City of Platteville has stayed with us throughout the journey as the fiscal agent for the grant through the State of Wisconsin Department of Administration. Family Advocates had numerous negotiation meetings with Platteville City Council to obtain zoning compliance and building permits.
Delta 3 Engineering and Epic Construction have been with Family Advocates since the inception of the idea to build. Both have been instrumental in the progress of our new building site and shelter.
As you can see, pictured above, the building shell is erected and inside construction is underway. The exterior siding and grounds development continues to take shape. We are excited at the expected completion date to be in mid-February. (UPDATE - The building was complete and we obtained occupancy on March 18th).
The current usable footage at our shelter is 4,000 square feet in a two story building which is not conducive to handicap individuals. The floor plan of the new building is over 13,000 square feet that is entirely handicap accessible and provides safe, secure and private areas for victims and families to heal.
