Family & Children’s Center to purchase new La Crosse home-base

LA CROSSE, Wis. –  Family & Children’s Center’s Board of Directors has entered into a purchase agreement effective June 5 for the former Marine Credit Union administrative facility at 811 Monitor Street for its new La Crosse headquarters to improve services for its expanding client base while providing flexible operational efficiencies.

“The Board of Directors and staff, with assistance from key donor stakeholders and volunteers, has been researching, studying and strategically planning a building change for several years,” says CEO/President Tita Yutuc, LCSW, LICSW.  “We are grateful for the leaders who helped inform and assist us in finding a terrific option for our growing 5,500 clients and the staff who care for them.”

Yutuc explains a number of options were analyzed, including new construction, buying and remodeling existing structures or renovating the current property. However, the agency found purchasing the 45-year-old, 31,000 square feet structure was the most fiscally responsible option that also fulfills the agency’s long-term goals.

According to Yutuc, the Board identified three guiding principles in 2022 on which to base a final decision: proximity, flexibility, and experience. The property’s flexible floor plan will bring a host of benefits as programs grow and change. In a central location, the new site offers multi-purpose spaces, improved technology, a central location, stronger safety and security, energy modernization, an enhanced client and staff experience, and a welcoming environment for all.

Board Chair Jennifer Knapp Severson says, “The decision to purchase the former Marine Credit Union focuses on a value-driven, capacity-building opportunity for the organization. The cost, at about $58 per square foot, is far less than new construction, and we are thrilled to find an excellent choice already suited to our needs.

Last year, the agency served 900 more client visits than in in 2021. Yutuc believes moving to the new building will creatively support the increasing capacity for its key child abuse prevention and early intervention programs, several of which include the quickly expanding Healthy Families program, Stepping Stones and Respite Care, to name a few of the agency’s 20 programs.

With an annual operating budget of $10.7M in 2023, FCC operates seven facilities in the five communities of La Crosse (owning two properties), Winona (owning two properties), Viroqua (owning one property), and leases two buildings in Sparta and Black River Falls. The agency will retain its other La Crosse property off Losey Boulevard at 2507 Weston Street. FCC also owns several houses at this location for adult residential services and its Respite Care program at the Weston site.

Yutuc says, “Like many businesses and non-profits, especially following the pandemic, we have been carefully analyzing square footage needs. For us, a larger building does not necessarily drive client care now or in the future, particularly as many of our services are delivered personally to our clients. States have also changed models of youth and client care replacing many residential options with in-home models,” she adds.

The current headquarters on Main Street is more than 41,000 square feet. Yet at 31,000 square feet, the Monitor Street location still offers future expansion opportunities while more cost-effectively serving today’s client needs.

Built in 1914, the current facility formerly operated for decades as Grandview Hospital and for several previous owners. It has served as FCCs’ La Crosse headquarters for the last 31 years. Yutuc says the current headquarters will be placed on the market when the purchase becomes final anticipated in one to two months following the completion of final details and due diligence. She anticipates moving within one year.

“In planning for our future home, we completed a developmental planning study in 2021 to hear from our donors about their ideas and dreams for FCC,” says Director of Advancement & Marketing, Ellen Hongerholt, MA.  “Our major donors’ first priority was facility operational sustainability. With this proposed move, FCC is clearly meeting the goal of being good stewards of contributed funds from our donor partners. Purchasing the Monitor Street building is the prudent, fiscally responsible move at this time. With growing mental health needs here at home and across the nation, our donors’ investments may be utilized more specifically for client care and program support,” adds Hongerholt.

Family & Children’s Center has its roots dating back to 1881. For well over a century, the organization has responded to helping individuals lead more productive and stable lives by improving mental health with family-based support, outpatient therapy services and programs to protect children through the effects of child abuse and to help avert it in the first place with early intervention.

Article originally appeared in Winona Post on June 23, 2023.