Can you believe it’s been almost 7 months since we laid the foundation for our new building? With our building almost complete, we wanted to take the time to look back over the past few months and celebrate the progress!
January
In January, we watched as the construction team laid the foundation for our new building by pouring the concrete. This step of the construction process felt like a great way to start the new year!
February
With a solid foundation laid, the construction crew brought in steel beams and began building. You can tell by our smiling faces that we were excited to see a structure beginning to take shape!
March
At this critical stage, our team met with the Contractor, Architect, and Property Committee to plan the next stages of the construction process.
April
As you can see, the crew accomplished so much in the first quarter of the year! In April, the building started to take shape with the added sheet rock.
May
In May, the crew installed the interior drywall for the walls and ceilings. They began the mudding process to smooth out the drywall and prepare it for painting. Also, the electrical and plumbing rough-in, which involves installing the electrical wiring and plumbing pipes throughout the building, began this month. To top it off, they began the brickwork on the exterior!
June
At this exciting stage, the crew finished mudding and painting the interior walls, completed the exterior masonry and brickwork, wired for telecommunications, installed IT, and capped the roofline.
July
We love seeing how much progress has been made from month to month. This month, our builders completed the IT rough-in, installed the ceiling grid and emergency lights, and finished the rain drainage system. They began work on the bathroom tile, parking lot grading, curbs and gutters, and sidewalks.
ShowerUp Is Coming with Us!
We are excited to announce that First Stop will be continuing our partnership with ShowerUp Huntsville at our new building! ShowerUp is an incredible organization that provides showers and other hygiene services to people experiencing homelessness.
The ShowerUp mobile shower trailer will be onsite full-time at our new building, allowing us to continue providing showers to our clients. This is essential for maintaining good hygiene, which is important for both physical and mental health.
In January-June of this year, First Stop clients received 2,165 showers through the ShowerUp partnership. This has been instrumental in helping us to maintain our operations during the construction progress, and we look forward to continuing the relationship moving forward.
Having access to a shower is not only a basic need but can play a critical role in helping individuals move from homelessness to independent living. We are proud to be partnering with ShowerUp to provide these essential services to our clients.
Help Us Get to the Finish Line!
We are excited to see so much progress on the new building, but we still need your help. Click on the link below to donate today and join us in this exciting project! Your donation will help us to complete the building and make it a reality. Together, we can make a difference in the lives of homeless individuals in our community!
