Volunteers of America, Dakotas was faced with a difficult situation when it realized its current 10-unit Axis 180 location at 217 S. Spring Ave. was in need of approximately $300,000 worth of building repairs.

Axis 180 is a program that helps young adults ages 16-21 transition from homelessness to independent living by providing temporary housing and educational services.

Instead of pouring money into the already aged building, VOA launched a $3.5 million HomePlace campaign to fund a 21-unit “transitional housing” complex on the corner of South Theodore Avenue and West 41^st Street. The project will be completed in the spring of 2020.

While construction is making progress, fundraising is still underway. VOA Dakotas will update its HomePlace campaign goal progress at the end of 2019.

When complete, the new building will include 19 fully furnished one-bedroom apartments and two two-bedroom apartments for young parents.

Here’s a closer look at the construction progress.

Youth homelessness isn’t something talked about often, said VOA managing director Stephanie Monroe said.

Nevertheless, it’s a hardship that a number of kids and young adults in Sioux Falls endure.

During the 2018-19 school year, the Sioux Falls school district reported 1,115 homeless K-12 students and 76 homeless 16-21-year-olds.

Last year, VOA Dakotas provided transitional housing to 33 young people in the Sioux Falls area. It reported that, on average, a person stayed for 9-12 months or until they turned 18 and were able to legally sign a lease.

Volunteers with the Axis 180 program provide services that include educational support, assistance seeking employment, life skills — including budgeting and time management — guidance finding future housing, and opportunities to establish connections with the community by exploring faith and culture.

Young adults enrolled in the program pay rent, just like they would at any other apartment complex — but Axis 180 is different, in that, tenants get all of the rent money back when they feel comfortable leaving the program.

This is Axis 180’s 19^th year of providing services in Sioux Falls. VOA Dakotas reported that 85 percent of the young people enrolled in the program had been working toward a high school diploma or GED while experiencing homelessness.

“One of the most striking pieces of this is that there are a lot of kids who are homeless but still show up to school every day,” Monroe said. “I think that school, for them, is a safe place where they have connections, relationships and access to socialization and basic things like food.”

The Sioux Falls school district is the biggest contributor to Axis 180 referrals, Monroe said. In 2018, an average of four referrals per week came from local teachers or councilors.

Monroe credits the program’s past and future success to the generosity exhibited by the people of Sioux Falls.

“It’s the responsibility of our community to care for those who, through no fault of their own, need a little extra help,” she said. “The work we do now is really work in prevention — to prevent cycles of poverty, abuse and homelessness and then lift these young people up so they can become contributing members of the community.”