Voluntary Action Center Builds The Opportunity Campus to Provide Essential Services to Underserved Populations

Voluntary Action Center has received $14M in New Markets Tax Credit funding to expand their services. Their newest facility, The Opportunity Campus, will support individuals experiencing hardship and homelessness by providing a 24/7/365 Emergency Shelter, Resource Center, and Medical Clinic.

For over 50 years, the Voluntary Action Center (VAC) has been a cornerstone of support for people facing hardship and homelessness in Boone County, Missouri. VAC provides essential health, employment, education, and housing services to Boone’s most vulnerable residents. As the needs of the community evolve, so do the organization’s outreach efforts, ensuring that those in crisis receive the support they need to regain stability.

VAC is currently constructing The Opportunity Campus, an initiative designed to serve high-need populations in Columbia, Missouri. The 54,154 square-foot facility will include an Emergency Shelter, Resource Center, and Medical Clinic, all co-located to provide immediate, low-barrier access to essential care and services. As the first-of-its-kind initiative in Boone County, The Opportunity Campus will reach 10,500 low-income individuals annually in a single, accessible location. Construction is currently underway, yet New Markets Tax Credits remained critical to completing the project’s capital stack and ensuring long-term sustainability.

Emergency Shelter: Using Housing First principles, the Emergency Shelter will operate year-round and support 500 unique individuals annually who are experiencing chronic or unsheltered homelessness. Amenities include overnight beds, meals, showers, laundry facilities, pet kennels, personal storage, and mailing services.

Resource Center: The Resource Center will integrate VAC’s headquarters, partner agency offices, and wraparound services under one roof, enhancing coordination and streamlining client access to critical resources. Programs will include medical care, housing and employment services, transportation assistance, and emergency food and personal care pantry. All resources will be available to both shelter residents and the broader Columbia community, delivering essential support to approximately 7,000 unique individuals annually, all of which have household incomes less than 200% of the federal poverty guidelines.

Medical Clinic: The Medical Clinic will provide primary, dental, mental, behavioral, and substance abuse services to 3,000 unique Boone County residents each year, at least 70% of which are expected to be low-income with a sliding fee schedule available to those in need. Leased to Centerstone Health, this medical clinic within a Medically Underserved Population and Health Professional Shortage Area will bridge healthcare disparities by offering accessible care to all patients regardless of payor source.

Voluntary Action Center also engages residents through other unique programs as their needs change throughout the year. These initiatives include air conditioner exchanges during heath waves, back-to-school supply drives and health services, holiday programs, winter essential donations during colder months, and financial assistance programs to receive gas vouchers, car repairs, and prescription support. These efforts create life-changing opportunities for individuals experiencing homelessness.

Partnering organizations include:

• Central Missouri Community Action
• Central Missouri Humane Society
• Columbia Center for Urban Agriculture
• Compass Health Network
• Job Point
• Loaves and Fishes
• Room at the Inn
• Turning Point Day Center
• Trumans Veterans Administration Homeless Programs

The creation of The Opportunity Campus aligns with Columbia’s 2021 Strategic Plan to achieve functional zero homelessness. As a partner in the City’s planning grant (RFP) for a homeless shelter, resource center, and drop-in center, VAC plays a key role in advancing support for vulnerable populations. The project reinforces the City’s mission by providing critical services and integrating wraparound support to create a safer, stable, and resilient community.

VAC also worked with community members, organizations, and governmental representatives to identify a suitable location for the new campus and ultimately secured today’s site through the philanthropic endeavors of a long-time, local resident that met the needs of the project’s intentions while also being amendable to the area’s business and resident neighbors. Furthermore, the project’s onsite programming was developed in concert with local nonprofits that overlap in this space, and the shelter’s amenities were developed after extensive research into the best practices of other successful emergency shelter campuses across the country.

The Opportunity Campus project has garnered avid community and government support, with over 10 Letters of Intent from key Columbia agencies who intend to provide on-site services. The project is also backed by significant state, city, and county funding, reinforcing the importance of addressing homelessness and community needs.

“Securing New Markets Tax Credits through Impact Marketplace has been a gamechanger for our expansion project,” says Ed Standsberry, Executive Director at Voluntary Action Center. “We are deeply appreciative of their guidance in bringing our vision to life, creating valuable job opportunities, fostering economic growth in central Missouri and addressing health and safety priorities for the City of Columbia.”

With the help of $14M in New Markets Tax Credit Allocation, The Opportunity Campus Center will provide critical services to over 10,500 of Boone County, Missouri’s most vulnerable residents. By combining multiple wraparound services into one accessible community hub, Voluntary Action Center continues to be a trusted resource for those striving toward a better future.