Des Moines school for troubled men wins zoning approval
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Harvest Academy Movers is part of a vocational training program run by the academy's students. Photo: Courtesy of Harvest Academy
Zoning for a nearly 18-acre campus for men who have been incarcerated, homeless or battled substance abuse was unanimously approved by the Des Moines City Council this week.
Why it matters: Harvest Academy — a self-funded nonprofit vocational school — will enroll 80 or more residents at a time, CEO Tim Krueger tells Axios.
- The school uses a therapeutic community model, which reduces the likelihood of recidivism, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
Details: The undeveloped site along a gravel road near the corner of Fleur Drive and County Line Road is just over a mile south of the Des Moines International Airport.
- It'll include townhomes, apartment buildings and space for vocational training programs.
Catch up fast: Krueger, an Iowa native, started the academy about three years ago in rural Indianola after retiring as the CFO of sunglasses company Maui Jim.
- Volunteering in a high school behavior-change class in Illinois and observing a training school for adults in Utah inspired him, he tells Axios.
How it works: Harvest's operational costs are paid by revenue generated from its student work programs, including its moving company.
- Students aren't paid but are provided housing and rehabilitation services for the minimum of two years it takes to complete the program.
- No convicted sex offenders or arsonists are accepted and participants must be at least 18 years old.
- The program is not religiously affiliated and says its students can quit anytime.
Zoom in: The group's Indianola site, which has capacity for 12 students at a time, has so far had 20 students who have stayed for at least three months in the program.
- Of those, eight quit prior to completion — all but one remains employed and out of trouble.
- Twelve have graduated or are still working in the program, Krueger says.
Of note: The future of that site will be evaluated as the DSM location is developed.
What they're saying: Programs like Harvest Academy are necessary to help reintegrate people with previous problems back into society, Councilperson Josh Mandelbaum, whose ward includes the site, tells Axios.
- Mandelbaum says he's unaware of opposition to the project.
What's next: The DSM location will develop in phases, with completion largely dependent on financing and likely taking years to complete, Krueger says.
- Work on its first $6.5 million phase will likely begin next year and focus on home construction.