Third Place QC urges Rock Island to clear path for downtown drop-in center; seeks city partnership and funding

Christy Adamson and Chloe Miller, cofounders of Third Place QC, presented to the Rock Island City Council a plan for a daytime drop-in center in downtown Rock Island aimed at people experiencing homelessness and housing instability. They described the center’s model, the services it will provide, and the partnerships supporting the effort.

Why it matters: Presenters said the center would fill a daytime gap in services — a period when many shelters are closed and people experiencing homelessness have few safe options — and estimated the center could serve about 1,500 individuals annually while making formal referrals and reducing nonemergency calls.

Adamson described the nonprofit’s mission, operations and planned services. The Third Place QC would open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., offer hygiene supplies, secure mailing, document storage, resource navigation and coordinated entry housing assessments, and provide a staffed common space where guests could rest without judgment. The presenters named partner organizations including Community Healthcare, Project Now, Christian Care, Robert Young, Family Resources, the Salvation Army Family Service Center and Cafe on Vine.

The presenters offered intended outcomes and measures: serving an estimated 20–30 guests per week and approximately 1,500 individuals annually; referring at least half of guests to housing, employment, health care or vital records services; and aiming to reduce nonemergency calls related to homelessness by 15–20% in the first year. Adamson said the group will track guest-reported improvements using validated survey tools and target a 60% rate of guests returning at least twice per month.

Adamson closed by urging a clear municipal pathway to opening. “What is the path forward for the third place to open on October 1 as promised?” she asked, pointing to a recent moratorium and a proposed licensure process that she said had been removed from the council agenda. She argued the licensure process should not “do more harm than it does good” and called for the city to work regionally with the Quad Cities Housing Council and Continuums of Care.

The presenters said they have received philanthropic, volunteer and nonprofit support and are seeking deeper investment from funders and city leaders; they also thanked local police and fire leadership for help with data collection.

Ending: Council members heard the presentation and asked clarifying questions; no formal council action on the Third Place request was recorded at the meeting, and presenters said they would continue to press for an actionable path to opening.