According to a report presented during a recent three-year planning session conducted by Quakerdale, over the last 30 years, the state of Iowa has been reducing support for their services. CEO, Rob Talbot, said it is because of these changes that their contracts with the state of Iowa for 2017 hold risks, including high program costs and other mounting challenges that have driven the decision to close their shelter in Manning.
Talbot said the Manning facility, which serves at risk youth, will close effective July 1, adding that he hopes they can make it that far. Generally, he said, when these types of announcements are made, employees are lost and that would make it extremely difficult to continue to provide 24-hour services. This latest closure is the second major change over the last year for the staff and children at the Manning site.
There will be approximately nine full- and part-time employees who will be losing their jobs at Quakerdale Manning. The board will also be working to find someone to utilize the buildings located on the west end of the community. Ideally, Talbot said, they would find a company to come in or they would be able to identify a need they could help fill.
Though the decisions at Manning are now out of their hands and into the hands of the Department of Human Services, Talbot said they will continue to offer counseling there and across the state. In addition, they will continue to operate their privately funded ministries through the Wolfe Ranch retreat and Equine services in Marshalltown, Promise Academy for Kids and Post-Graduate Basketball in New Providence along with Hope4Healing and the Mobile Camp. The Quakerdale shelter and supervised apartment living in Waterloo will also be closed effective July 1.
