County aid for Starts Right Here reaches $1.75M
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
The former Elim Christian Fellowship. Photo: Courtesy of the Polk County Assessor
Polk County is committing another $1 million to the school portion of Starts Right Here's $11.4 million transitional housing and education campus in Des Moines' East Village.
Why it matters: The county's backing helps advance one of Des Moines' most ambitious efforts to support young people transitioning out of foster care, juvenile placements, or unstable situations.
Driving the news: Supervisors last week preliminarily approved a $500,000 loan and a $500,000 grant for the school's expansion at the former Elim Christian Fellowship, 525 E. Ninth St.
- Details such as loan interest and a repayment schedule will be included in a final agreement that will be presented to the supervisors next month, county spokesperson Jon Cahill tells Axios.
Catch up quick: The county previously allocated $750,000 in federal pandemic funding to support the project's housing component.
Zoom in: The project includes 18 furnished studio apartments for low-income young adults ages 18–24, additional classrooms, a teaching kitchen, counseling and mentoring offices, life-skills programming, and community gathering areas.
- The school plans to continue serving students at its current location, 455 SW 5th St., after the new location opens, which will more than double its total enrollment from 45 to 95 students.
Context: The expansion comes as Starts Right Here continues to rebuild after a 2023 shooting at its current school that killed students Gionni Dameron and Rashad Carr and seriously wounded Keeps.
- Keeps has said the attack strengthened his resolve to continue helping young people.
By the numbers: Starts Right Here has secured about $8.76 million from state and local, private and philanthropic sources.
- That leaves about $2.64 million to complete the financing.
- The nonprofit is also pursuing federal historic tax credits, Keeps tells Axios.
What's next: Construction is in its final stages, and the campus is scheduled to open in mid-November.