As our programs continue to grow and the need for crisis mental health care increases, the importance of a centralized headquarters facility for Foundation 2 Crisis Services became apparent. Through the generous and dedicated support of our community leaders and their generous ARPA (America Rescue Plan Act) appropriations, corporate and board of directors, staff leadership, and others, we are set to make this dream a reality. We purchased the historical Witwer Building in Downtown Cedar Rapids in fall 2022 and are currently undergoing an intentional and trauma-informed workplace remodel. We look forward to moving into this building after the remodel is complete.
Headquarters Facility
Legacy Wall
Our new space will feature an opportunity to honor and remember individuals’ mental health stories, including people who have died by suicide and people who are passionate about mental health. With your gift, you can honor a loved one permanently on our Legacy Wall, serving as a reminder of the important work we do.
Naming Rights
In our new home, we will have multiple prominent locations available for naming rights. We invite you to formalize your support with a location named in your honor. Your company or personal name(s) will be displayed permanently at your chosen location on a beautiful placard. A limited number of opportunities available.
Donor Wall
We greatly appreciate every one of our donors who make this project possible. As a valued supporter, we invite you to be part of the donor wall, to be located prominently in our new space. Your company or personal name(s) will be honored on the piece permanently. Opportunities start at $1,000.
For all questions about giving, please connect with Katie Curtis, Chief Development Officer, at kcurtis@foundation2.org or 319-200-8428.
Progress
Rinderknect Associates and Solum Lang Architects are leading a building remodel and update to best fit our staff and client needs. Our intent is to respect the historical elements of the building while also making it fit our modern needs. The design focuses on maximizing natural light, creating calm spaces, and supporting staff working in a high-stress environment.
A few highlights of the new headquarters include:
- A training library so that our staff have access to continuing education, ensuring high-quality crisis care for everyone who reaches out.
- Training spaces for frequent community-based and workplace-based mental health and suicide prevention trainings.
- Wrap-around support for staff and clients (within certain programs), including showers, laundry facility, learning lab, and more. This helps ensure we can provide a trauma-informed space for staff and clients who are in crises or work with high-acuity situations daily.
The Need
Our Cedar Rapids-based services are currently fractured between multiple locations, including the Crisis Center, Administrative Office, Fostering Futures office, and Mobile Crisis Outreach offices. While these locations were added over time to meet growing program needs, the multiple locations can inhibit programs’ abilities to collaborate and reduce efficiencies.
We also lack an adequate-sized training space for internal and community-based training. To continue to meet the increasing community needs for mental health and suicide prevention and intervention care, we saw the need to centralize our growing programs to increase collaborations in the community, improve accessibility for community-based crisis programs, and create a trauma-informed workspace for our dedicated teams.
Funding
This project is largely made possible through generous grant funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds approved by the Linn County Board of Supervisors and City of Cedar Rapids; State of Iowa’s Nonprofit Innovation Fund; and corporate and private contributions. We value the investment our communities have made in Foundation 2 Crisis Services and suicide prevention. We still need community support to ensure the building’s completion. Schedule a meeting with Katie Curtis by calling 319-200-8428 or emailing kcurtis@foundation2.org.
Frequently Asked Questions
Foundation 2 Crisis Services provides phone, text, and chat crisis support, as well as in-person crisis services through our Mobile Crisis Outreach program. Our MCO team will travel to you, including at home, work, and public areas. Walk-in clients’ to the Downtown location will be triaged by the Mobile Crisis team. However, our service model does not prioritize walk-in services. If you would like walk-in care, we encourage you to visit the Linn County Mental Health Access Center where Foundation 2 crisis counselors and our partner agencies can provide rapid, walk-in crisis support.
We are pleased to provide a flexible work environment that supports our employees in a variety of workplaces, including fully in-office, fully remote, and hybrid schedules. When renovations are completed, our new space will accommodate all levels of workspace needs and will include office hoteling spaces and drop-in workstations for remote and hybrid employees to utilize.
Our emergency youth shelter will remain fully operational in its current location. Group housing has specific facility and resource needs, and the existing facility can meet these needs to ensure youths’ safety and wellbeing. Services at the youth shelter will not be impacted by the move.
Additionally, our team at the Linn County Mental Health Access Center will remain in their current location. And, our Law Enforcement Liaisons will remain directly embedded in law enforcement offices.
The total cost is expected to be $5.2 million dollars. We are grateful for the generous community and state grant support for this project.
In our new space, we plan to have a memorial wall to offer the opportunity to honor a loved one who has died by suicide. We plan to partner with a local artist to create a beautiful tribute opportunity that will be open to the public; more information about the memorial wall is available in our donor booklet.
As of November 2022, White Star Ale House chose to not renew their lease. The bar Country Underground closed in September, prior to Foundation 2 Crisis Services owning the facility. Inquiries about leasing the restaurant space should be directed to Chief Financial Officer Matt Heinricy at mheinricy@foundation2.org