FISH student housing in Carson City opens; partners with historic prison preservation group for fundraiser
Submitted by Jeff Munson on Wed, 04/10/2024 - 8:21am
Two major issues in the region are: 1) a lack of trained workforce and 2) the lack of affordable housing. Nearly two years ago, Friends In Service Helping, also known as FISH, demolished a crumbling motel and began building new Student Housing to improve these two issues.
Event Date:
May 18, 2024 - 3:00pm
Now people who probably should have gone to college, but didn't, have a chance to compete for skilled jobs in the trades and medical field. Our rental costs are significantly below market rate, and students (with their family members) pay rent on a sliding scale or take advantage of grants/vouchers so they can afford to focus their studies. One of the other great benefits we saw in our pilot program, is that when kids see their parents do homework, the kids do the same thus improving their grades in K-12 classes.
Students are starting to move in. Unfortunately, we received occupancy in early March, more than a month after most colleges started spring semester. Some students on our waiting list needed to find other housing since we could not reliably predict move-in dates. Fortunately, we were able to place a few students in our transitional housing units, and now we can have others directly move into the Student/Family Housing.
FISH also provides wrap-around services from our free medical clinic, and our assigned caseworkers; and our food banks/family dining room are helping to take the financial stress off of these students.
Following graduation and job placement in new careers, we will work with each family/individual to determine when they can transition to more permanent housing.
These new apartments will provide housing for individuals and their families, once they are accepted in a technical, certificate training program in the trades or medical field, i.e. Nursing, Construction Management, IT, Advanced Manufacturing, Journeymen Electrician, HVAC, CDL Truck Driving, Auto Mechanics, and more. We are looking at students who are attending regional community colleges, and those in internships/ apprenticeships with local companies including auto dealerships and HVAC companies. We are looking for career paths that will result in employees earning $27/hr or more.
Sometimes, this will require "stacking" one or more certificates so they have a wage to be self-sufficient in our region.
The commercial building on Carson Street is expected to be ready in May, and to obtain occupancy, we need to finish the landscape/sidewalks and install our playground & gazebo equipment on the East side of the apartments. The grills, tables, swings, play structures, and gazebo will cost about $100,000.
Fundraiser tour with Nevada State Prison Preservation Society
We are starting fundraising for those items now so occupancy of the entire site will not be delayed. For details, see playground fundraising on our website nvfish.com. Also see the flyer attachments below.
We are also announcing a brand-new region-wide fundraiser. This one has a two-fold purpose. Primarily the fundraiser is to help fund the final $1 million construction costs for the FISH Student Housing project that is nearing completion. The final cost of the project is projected to be above $17.5 million.
The secondary purpose is to recognize the work done in Carson City by the Nevada State Prison Preservation Society. The Historic Nevada State Prison was first used in 1862, and tours now provide revenue to enhance the site's educational programs and staffing. That way, tours can be offered more frequently. The event venue, including tours, live music, videos from "para-normal" experts, auctions, dancing, and fabulous food; will certainly draw visitors from Sacramento to Ely, and from Battle Mountain to Vegas.
This new fundraiser will be on Saturday, May 18, from 3 to 8 p.m. at the Historic Nevada State Prison (NSP). We will provide a shuttle service to the prison for those who are unable to get premium ticket packages that include on-site parking. Get more details on our website here.
FISH is not dependent on government funding, and we are very thankful for our generous community! Many thought that funding this project through donations was a long shot at best. So, be proud that you and your neighbors are a part of something truly unique… helping single parents and others get the education needed to be self-supporting. Revitalizing our community, that's what we do at all levels, and with all of our clients.
Fish Sponsor 2 by Carson Now on Scribd
Fish Sponsor 1 by Carson Now on Scribd
