"The relationships that we have developed between the Native/non-Native community is an example of the positive change that is possible with the completed transformation campus. When we communicate and work together, we are better equipped to address the challenges we face in our community."

~ Whitney Rencountre, Rural America Initiatives / RCCI Guiding Council

Identifying Gaps & Needs

The overall spectrum of people who fall under the poverty line includes everyone from the public inebriate to the panhandler; from the severely disabled to the single parent working multiple jobs trying to provide for his or her family; from the addicted or mentally ill to the domestic violence victim. OneHeart will serve only a portion of the spectrum, including families and individuals struggling in the crisis of poverty and youth aging out of foster care.

The following graphic helps to explain where on the spectrum of providers OneHeart falls:

Quality of Life Unit

The Rapid City Police Department’s Quality of Life Unit is charged with building relationships with the visible part of the poverty spectrum (street level homeless, public inebriates, panhandlers, etc.) and connecting them with services.

HOPE Center

The HOPE Center is a drop-in day center that provides basic services for both the transient part of the homeless spectrum as well as people living in the crisis of poverty who rely on the center for laundry, mail, and phone services. They conduct classes and activities for this demographic as well as offer a place for socialization.

CornerStone Rescue Mission

CornerStone Rescue Mission is an (emergency) homeless shelter that provides many of the same services as the HOPE Center, but only for people who are clean and sober. They also offer case management and a daily soup kitchen serving three meals a day for anyone in the community.

Pennington County

Pennington County’s Care Campus serves a wide range of the spectrum - from the Safe Solutions concept, which provides a place for those under the influence to sleep it off, to detox and treatment services, crisis mental health care, and a wide array of health and human services.

OneHeart Campus

OneHeart will provide a recovery-oriented environment for people living in the crisis of poverty to get the wrap-around assistance they need in stabilizing their lives and attaining a new level of independence. Additionally, being located next door to the Care Campus allows for cross-utilization of services, further reducing the need for expensive redundancies.

RCCI's Housing Initiative

RCCI’s Housing Initiative is working to identify and fill gaps in the local housing market so that people have suitable, affordable places to live at all socioeconomic levels.

Economic/Workforce Development

Multiple economic and workforce development initiatives are underway, including those led by Elevate Rapid City, Career Learning Center of the Black Hills, and Western Dakota Tech, that will work on industry diversification and workforce development, among other aspects, to create a more economically diverse and stable community and a more skilled workforce.

"It's impossible to do it alone. It takes a village. And that's what OneHeart is -

a team of caring people who are helping people to move their lives forward.

And it's working with them until they get there."

~ Charity Doyle, OneHeart Executive Director

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