Logan County Board says no to Hope on Fifth

 

[May 31, 2024] 

The Logan County board met for its monthly voting session meeting at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, May 21, 2024. Eleven of the 12 board members were present. Those present were Julie Bobell, Michael DeRoss, Hannah Fitzpatrick, Keenan Leesman, Joseph Kuhlman, Dale Nelson, Bob Sanders, Jim Wessbecher, Kathy Schmidt, Gil Turner, and Emily Davenport. James Glenn was absent for the evening.

During the meeting, board members heard from Joe Schaler regarding the Hope on 5th project in Logan County in the building that was once St. Clara’s Manor on 5th Street in Lincoln.

The Logan County Board put $200,000 into the project in 2023. Schaler was present to request that the county consider contributing $200,000 more to the project. The money would go towards getting Carle Hospital to put a clinic in the building. He said that Carle is ready to make the move, but there is a “build out” that needs to be done in order to seal the deal. He said that would be $186,000 invested in the north wing of the building. The board also needs $40,000 for the East wing. The $200,000 would go almost totally for the completion of the north wing.

Board Chairman Emily Davenport said she had understood that the request in 2023 was a one time ask. She said that the decision to support the project had been made quickly because there were time constraints on getting the building and getting started. She said that the board was being asked for funding for other projects and the board can’t just give arbitrary amounts to everyone who asks.

Davenport also wanted to know if the city of Lincoln was helping with funding. Schaler said he had gone to the city last year but received no assistance. He has not been back since.

Schaler had also made the same comment in the Committee of the Whole meeting on the Thursday prior. Board member Michael DeRoss said since that meeting he had an opportunity to speak with a city council member who told him that Schaler had not come to the city for money since the first time.

Board Member Dale Nelson was in support of funding the $200,000 and said that he felt strongly that what is being done at Hope on 5th is needed. He said he had seen the progress made on the building in the last year. He said the people working on the project were moving forward quickly and efficiently. He felt they deserved the support of the county.

Schaler was asked who controls the building on Fifth Street. Hope on 5th is a 501c3 not for profit managed by the Regional Housing Supportive Services (RHSS). The board members are Kim Turner, Lori Jackson, Judge Thomas Funk, Patti Schonauer, Nadia Klekamp, and Dea Welsh.

At the Thursday meeting Schaler had reported that the kitchen area has been completed and will be in use this summer as a commercial kitchen for Flossie & Delzena’s when they provide the catering for the Workcamp for Lincoln program. He said others are interested in using it as well. There are some meetings taking place in the building as well including one Alcoholics Anonymous group. He added there is great potential for future uses of the building. He also reported that Judge Funk has opened an office in the building for providing legal aid. Schaler said there are five overnight rooms that will soon be ready for use, and the Salvation Army is still working toward coming into the building.

At that same meeting, Gil turner asked if the housing will be provided under SA guidelines or Veterans Assistance guidelines because they two are not similar. Schaler said the housing for veterans would be provided under VA guidelines.

On Tuesday evening, DeRoss asked if there had been a census of how many veterans were in the region. Schaler said that with Logan and the seven counties that border it (Dewitt, Macon, Mason, McLean, Menard, Sangamon and Tazewell) there are 55,000 veterans and on any given day 50 to 60 are homeless. He added that in addition, he sees five to six times that number that are “couch surfing.” They don’t have their own address and spend their time staying with friends or family.

Nelson said there are many hardships that veterans face once they are discharged. They have no money, no health insurance, no job. Some suffer from PTSD (post traumatic stress) if they saw combat. The VA is slow to respond to the needs of these veterans and doesn’t respond adequately. He stood firm that what will be offered at Hope of 5th is very important.

Schaler said that was the case for him personally. He left the military very naïve, he was recovering from injury and had nothing and didn’t know how or where to get the benefits he had earned in the service. Schaler added that often times the VA will be quick to deny a claim then take too long to hear an appeal. Eventually the claim gets lost or just goes away. Schaler asked the county to remember that there are 12,000,000 active service men and women who are protecting 330 million of us.

Davenport wanted to know if the surrounding counties were being asked to support the project. Schaler said at this time they are not, but they will be asked for support once the services are up and running and veterans are coming to Lincoln from those counties.

Schaler told the board that Hope on Fifth is working to raise money from other sources. They are seeking grants, asking for donors and planning fundraisers. He said it was a $1,000,000 project. He also said he had hopes that the facility would be fully functional within a year.

Board member Bob Sanders said that the ask was for a noble cause, but at the same time it was a lot of money. He noted that the topic had only been discussed in two county meetings. He felt more information was needed.

DeRoss also noted that there needed to be an application process for the community fund. He said that the board should have a guideline for delivering these local grants. Schaler said that with all due respect, he had heard the very same words the year prior, and yet, there is no application and no process.

Board member Jim Wessbecher offered up an amended motion, reducing the amount by half . The motion to change the amount to $100,000 was seconded and the vote taken. The vote failed 6 to 5.

The votes for the $100k proposal went as follows:

● Bobell, no
● DeRoss, yes
● Fitzpatrick, yes
● Leesman, no
● Kuhlman, no
● Nelson, no
● Sanders, yes
● Wessbecher, yes
● Schmit, no
● Turner, no
● Davenport, yes.

The board moved back to the original motion for $200,000 and that also failed.

The votes for the $200k went as follows:

● Bobell, no
● DeRoss, no
● Fitzpatrick, no
● Leesman, yes
● Kuhlman, yes
● Nelson, yes
● Sanders, no
● Wessbecher, no
● Schmidt, yes
● Turner, yes
● Davenport, no

That made the total votes 5 yes and 6 no for the 200k.

[Shelbi Fisher/Nila Smith]