Community Invited To Tour, Celebrate Downtown Day Resource Center
public is invited to April 9 open house and ribbon-cutting event, $6.4 million capital campaign continues
author & photo by McKenna Scherer |
The Day Resource Center (1 Better Way, Eau Claire) is the result of local community organizations pooling their resources and joining hands over a common goal: to create Eau Claire’s first-ever centralized hub for housing and homeless services.
Western Dairyland Economic Opportunity Council (WDEOC) and Hope Gospel Mission will host an open house at the Day Resource Center from 3-6pm on Thursday, April 9 – and the entire community is invited.
According to a recent media release, attendees will have the opportunity to tour the building, learn about services offered and meet the partners supporting homeless and housing insecure folks in the Chippewa Valley.
The Day Resource Center provides a safe, welcoming space for unhoused individuals to access resources including bathrooms and showers, storage, shelter and perhaps most importantly, numerous resources otherwise not found in a single location.
One year ago, the project had yet to even be announced.
Last spring, on May 29, WDEOC announced its intention to launch a multi-million dollar capital campaign to open a downtown, year-round, daytime center – at the site formerly known as 610 Gibson St., later renamed in honor of the project – to serve unhoused individuals.
The One Better Way Capital Campaign, which will ultimately pay for the fees associated with creating the Day Resource Center, has a goal of $6.4 million. According to the project’s website, it has raised about $4.6 million. Donations can be made online at onebetterway.org.
Today, WDEOC’s Housing and Family Services programs and Hope Gospel Mission’s Community Haven House, formerly located at 416 Washington St., Eau Claire, reside at the Day Resource Center. Dozens of local organizations and providers also rotate through the space, bringing their resources – from medical care to workforce support, housing assistance, notary services and more – to those in need.
Registration is not required for the open house and ribbon-cutting event on April 9, though submitting an RSVP form online is encouraged.
Donations toward the One Better Way Capital Campaign can be made online at onebetterway.org. Any donations made from now through April 30 will be matched, doubling the impact. The Day Resource Center, open seven days a week from 9am-6pm year-round, is located at 1 Better Way, Eau Claire.
