A large crowd gathered outside the New Leaf to watch Jo Homan, store director helped CAASA Executive Director Stephanie Henrich cut the ribbon.
Stephanie Henrich, the Executive Director of CAASA, and a group of employees and volunteers welcomed a large crowd to New Leaf on December 21 at the grand opening of their new building at 313 N. 2nd Street. The store is a local thrift shop which proceeds benefits survivors of sexual assault and domestic abuse.
The new building is the result of a grant received from the state of Iowa through the Federal American Rescue Plan Act. It was one of 24 grants awarded across the state to nonprofits to support infrastructure projects as part of the Nonprofit Innovation Fund Grant from the Iowa Economic Development Authority. CAASA was awarded 515,295 to support the total project of $572,550.
The store’s previous location on Beech Street was earmarked for repairs and updates, but problems arose and the renovation project had to be scrapped.
Local businessman Jim Haselhoff had been contracted for the work on Beech Street, but when
Stephanie Henrich, Executive
Director of CAASA,
and Jim Haselhoff of
Haselhoff Construction.
concerns with the building began to pile up, he and his wife decided to donate an empty lot that they had owned for almost a decade to the organization. “This was just perfect,” he told the Chronicle Times in April. The organization announced at that time that it would build a brand new building for New Leaf on the lot site instead.
Haselhoff’s business, Haselhoff Construction, handled the building project. They were joined by SCE (site utilities), Modern Heating and Cooling (HVAC and plumbing), Woodall Electric (electrical), Brentwood Roofing, Guarantee Gutter, Denison Drywall (drywall/acoustical ceilings), Reich Painting, Valley Glass, RJ Thomas, and Marcus Lumber (flooring).
The new store is a spacious 5,000 square feet with an open floor plan. Henrich told the Chronicle Times that they planned to organize it in sections. “I think it’ll look more organized and be easier to shop in staged areas. We have beds like crazy, couches, chairs, tables, and cribs. There will be so many things that people need that will be affordable.”
At the grand opening, Henrich tearfully thanked the community for supporting both CAASA and New Leaf, acknowledging the importance of their mission and the role that they play in our community. “This store is a dream,” she said. “It is everything I hoped it could be and I am so proud.”
The first purpose of New Leaf has always been to serve as a resource for survivors of sexual and domestic assault. A range of items are donated to the store and are priced and put on display for sale to the public. Survivors can visit the store, and pick out furniture and other household necessities including dishes, cooking items, cutlery, and other items free of charge. Unfortunately, many clients come to CAASA needing to replace all of their personal belongings after fleeing an abusive situation.
At the December 19 Cherokee County Supervisors meeting Henrich said that New Leaf brings in $25,000 which further supplements the CAASA budget. This is a stable source of funding for the organization and as Henrich explained “it is the one thing that doesn’t have a rule, anything can be paid for with its funds.” In the complex web of bureaucratic funding, this flexibility is a real blessing.
“The store pays for more than people think,” Henrich explained to the Supervisors. “That money does mileage and client assistance, rent assistance. It does everything that we barely have money for.”
Henrich outlined several of the needs of their clients. “They need food, they need gas. They need housing. If we have to relocate them it can cost thousands of dollars and I just don’t have it for my overall budget of 19 counties for client assistance. I only have $6,000. That is the state money and that is not enough money to even barely help accounting.”
The new location is much easier to find than the old store site. Just look for the giant electronic billboard!
The total project cost was $572,550, which is two-thirds of CAASA’s annual operating budget for the entire organization over the 19 counties served. While the grant provides for the majority of the expense, over $57,000 still must be raised to cover the organization’s 10% portion of the project.
Henrich is working to organize a fundraiser and is looking for area partnerships, sponsors and donors to help offset that 10% cost. One idea that she’s considering is a breakfast, which is something they’ve never done before. The building at Beech Street has been sold, but they are still short of reaching their goal.
Additionally, Henrich asked the Supervisors for an additional $2,000 in funding for the next budget year bringing their total annual amount to $7,000. Henrich informed the board that there has been an uptick on sexual assaults in Cherokee County and 85% of those reports involved children under the age of 15. She also explained that CAASA has helped 23 survivors in Cherokee County in the last year and noted that the state had cut 22% of her funding. “Right now the average salaries for advocates and everyone is $478,000. It doesn’t leave us much for rent. We have seven other locations in the 19 counties in northwest Iowa.”
“The average salary for advocates is $32,613. That’s not enough to even barely feed your family,” Henrich continued. “But we’ve got to be able to take care of your survivors here.” Kallie Baker is an advocate who serves both Cherokee and Plymouth County and she will have a working space out of the New Leaf store.
The “children’s area” is filled with furniture, toys, and other kid items. The open floor plan allows for items to be staged.
At every occasion, Henrich passionately speaks for her organization and the important work they do. “If you have someone, anyone that is in desperate need, I will help them. I don’t want them to suffer.” She is pragmatic that New Leaf serves the additional purpose of providing people in our community an affordable place to shop.
She told the Chronicle Times “No matter what, for survivors or for the community, people should come here and be able to afford things. The last thing I want people to think is ‘that’s just too high price’ because that’s not okay with me. That’s not what we’re here for. Let’s face it, the economy is going higher and people are not able to afford barely anything. It doesn’t matter what income you’re bringing home. If you can find a highchair for $10 instead of $120, that’s helpful.”
If you are interested in volunteering or donating to the organization, you can contact the store at 712-225-4309. Monetary donations can be made in a number of ways. Paypal can be used at the CAASA website, www.caasaonlin.org; or use Venmo@CAASA2020. Checks can be mailed to PO Box 996, Spencer, IA 51301. Cash or check donations can also be made at New Leaf.
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