December 6, 2022 UPDATE:
Carson City residents might know Friends in Service Helping, or "FISH," for their thrift shop and food bank, but a new project, with big long-term goals, is finally taking shape on Carson's main drag.
The nonprofit organization is building a 36-unit apartment complex for student housing, to help adults who are hoping to return to school or get technical training. Demolition started in May, and now, the project is going vertical.
"We talk about it being our revitalization project, so we're revitalizing the downtown of Carson City, FISH Executive Director Jim Peckham said. "It's going to be so much prettier than it used to be."
Prettier than the old Whistle Stop Inn, Peckham says, that used to take up this space. The group demolished the run-down motel to start fresh. After some construction delays, the project should be finished within a year, ready for students in fall 2023.
FISH already has a program to help adults get back to school, but they noticed that housing was a major barrier, especially for single parents. This new project will provide subsidized housing for the whole family while the parents are in school.
"There's a lot of, as we call them, 'underemployed,' who just need the opportunity to be able to go back to school," Peckham said. "They're working a couple of jobs trying to keep all the kids fed. They probably should have gone to college 5-10 years ago but didn't, and here's their second chance."
Peckham says the benefits reach beyond the parents.
"We find that when the parents start doing homework at the kitchen table, the kids start doing homework," he said. "So everybody kind of raises up a little bit, taking a bite out of that generational poverty."
It's an idea that former FISH client JD Powers says can be life-changing. She says she arrived at FISH after hitting rock bottom, just out of prison and struggling with addiction. They gave her a job, and then training to advance her career.
"At first I was scared," Powers said. "Scared of like, what if they can't help me. What if I fail. And the cool thing about is if you go to FISH, and you have struggles, they just help you. It's a beacon of hope, really it is. It instills hope that I might be down, but I'm not out."
The project costs $16 million, and Peckham says, they're about halfway there. They can get loans to cover the rest, but are hoping to get as many donations as possible. To donate to FISH, click here.
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ORIGINAL STORY:
With the rate of inflation and the seemingly ever-increasing rental prices, many find themselves underemployed and unable to learn a new skill to advance their career. One organization in Carson City is looking to help.
The Whistle-Stop Inn was already in disrepair, even before SWAT and Carson City Fire used it for training exercises. But the community organization FISH is looking to demolish the entire complex and turn it into student housing.
“We'll be able to get them into school, get them technical degrees so that they can take on some of these positions that are open in the community," said Jim Peckham, Executive Director for FISH. “We talk about moving from minimum wage to meaningful careers."
To achieve this, they will be providing a wide array of services to those looking for a technical degree. For those who don't know, friends in service helping, or FISH, provides a hand up, not a hand out to those suffering from homelessness, food insecurity and even lack of access to medical treatment in places like Carson City and rural Nevada.
“Whatever scenario they are in, if they are homeless or are just underemployed or need a job, if they are willing to put in the work, we are too," said Peckham.
But this next project is a massive one, as they are looking to install two different apartment complexes with 36 different units. The idea is to house individuals who are unemployed or underemployed while they attend school for a technical certification like CDL driving, HV AC, or electrician. FISH will also be assisting with everything from car payments to cell phone bills so students can focus on their studies.
The idea comes not only from the increase in inflation, but also the increase in demand for skilled labor.
“We are trying to make fewer people reliant on affordable housing. Once they come out of these programs they'll be making two or three times the amount of money that they've been making, they'll be able to afford the ongoing rents."
FISH is a little more than halfway to its goal of $15 million for the project, which will break ground this may, and hopes to move in the first residents by February of next year.
To donate directly to fish or inquire about volunteer opportunities, you can visit them here.
