CONTRIBUTED PHOTO A team of volunteers from across the state helps Youth & Shelter Services relocate from its tornado damaged building at 11 E. State St., to temporary quarters in the basement of the Marshalltown Police Department, 22 N. Center St., on Aug. 10.

Youth & Shelter Services of Marshall County has served the area for 35 years. Now, the agency that has worked with at-risk populations all these years has accepted a helping hand from the community. On Aug. 10, a team of volunteers from across the state helped the agency relocate from its tornado damaged building at 11 E. State St., to temporary quarters in the basement of the Marshalltown Police Department, 22 N. Center St.

“We’re in the helping field, and now we’re needing to be helped,” YSS Director David Hicks said. “MPD Chief Michael Tupper and City Administrator Jessica Kinser helped us relocate.”

Hicks said the YSS office had sustained damage and the building remains without power. The building’s landlord, Win Kyaw, decided he wanted to set up shop in that building, which YSS had used as its headquarters for the past 15 years. Kyaw also owns and operates Goldenland Asian Food Market which was completely destroyed in the tornado.

“We agreed on a Sept. 1 date to vacate so he could get his market going again,” Hicks said. “YSS of Marshall County is very grateful for the wonderful volunteers we had as we vacated our 11 E. State St. location on Aug. 10. We had students from Iowa State University, staff from Fox Engineering in Ames, colleagues from our Mason City office, board members from Eastern Story County, former YSS of Marshall County staff, program alumni, as well as a bus load of great kids from the BCLUW cross country teams, administration and their athletic director — around 60-70 volunteers.”

Not missing a beat has been the agency’s primary focus. Its services include, but are not limited to, crisis intervention and runaway services, supervised visitation, school-based outreach, family development and self-sufficiency, Iowa Aftercare Services Network for youth aging out of the foster care system, and more. Hicks said the only alteration that has been made is supervised visits that were previously held in a special space in their offices now must take place off-site.

Having the team operate out of one large basement room has its challenges. There is no Internet and some materials remain in storage. The room is protected by a safety code and files are kept confidential. A nearby room is utilized when a client wishes to converse in private. YSS will stay in the PD’s basement for a few months.

“We do have a plan, and as soon as we get to dotting the I’s and crossing the T’s, we’ll roll out the permanent plan,” Hicks said.

Hicks said much of the work his employees perform takes place out of the office through in-home visits. For staff member Beth Popelka, being a trusted form of support for her clients is all the more important following a traumatic incident.

“The clients are more shaken, and they want to discuss the tornado — it’s their main focus right now. What we mainly talk about is what’s been going on in Marshalltown the last month,” she said. “I had a client that had to get out of their house, because they could only stay in the kitchen; the rest of the house was falling in and the foundation had shifted.”

Sam Fox said one of her clients now lives with the added anxiety of not knowing if the next major storm will destroy his or her possessions.

“One client expressed a lot of anxiety and has taken their things to the basement (for safe keeping),” Fox said.

But through it all, the staff remains committed to their clients.

“Services have to continue,” staff member Darcy Andersen said.

Hicks said he anticipates the need for services to increase now that many disaster relief organizations are leaving town.

“I think we’ll see another wave of need and more homelessness, and resources were minimal before (the tornado),” he said.

For more information, YSS may be reached at 641-752-2300.

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Contact Sara Jordan-Heintz at 641-753-6611 or sjordan@timesrepublican.com