Moline approves MOU with YWCA for Place 2 Be to expand outreach to homeless youth

The Moline City Council voted unanimously on Aug. 5 to authorize a memorandum of understanding between the Moline Police Department and the YWCA of the Quad Cities to support the Place 2 Be transitional living program for homeless and exploited youth.

The chief of police said the agreement formalizes an existing partnership that will enhance identification, outreach and referrals. The Place 2 Be, the chief said, opened in 2010 after local human‑service providers identified a gap in youth homelessness services and now offers meals, life skills, mental‑health linkage, employment help and transitional living. The chief said the Place 2 Be “currently serve[s] over 75 youth” and that, with the police department partnership, staff anticipate serving “an additional 75 in the year to come.”

The chief also described an affiliated facility, Allen’s House, a 10‑bed emergency group home under construction in Rock Island that city staff expect to open within a month to provide emergency placement and crisis intervention supports.

Council members asked operational questions: one councilor asked whether Place 2 Be ride‑alongs would cross jurisdictional lines; the chief said the ride‑alongs under the MOU will be limited to Moline. The chief also noted the director, Nicole Soderwasser, previously worked with the police department and volunteers as a social‑work resource.

Action: Motion by Alderman Finch, seconded by Alderman Castro, to authorize the chief to execute the MOU; roll call recorded six ayes and the motion carried.

Next steps: the MOU will support the Place 2 Be’s grant applications by documenting the policing partnership and formalize the department’s role in outreach and referral; staff said the program may expand placements once Department of Children and Family Services paperwork is completed.