Safe Haven project on the shelf

FORT MADISON – According to officials close to the Safe Haven homeless shelter project in Fort Madison, the project is being put on a shelf.
Following the death of Jon Heyland on Dec. 31, the project, which had been on an upward track, has been discontinued by the board overseeing the effort.
The project would have provided 40 beds for those without a home in the former St. Mary’s convent home in the 1100 block of Avenue E just west of the St. Mary’s Church parking lot.  The church donated the property over to the non-profit that oversees the Emma Cornelis House with the intention of turning the property into the Safe Haven.
Residents would have been provided a temporary and safe place to stay with frequent law enforcement presence.
Prior to his death, Heyland was spearheading the effort, saying that about 3% of Lee County population is listed as homeless. Heyland believed that being homeless isn’t always connected to drug use.
“It's far bigger than that. It's people that may have not been able to afford rent, or someone in an abusive relationship. Those are the kind of situations that we want to provide for," he said in a 2025 interview with Pen City Current.
The mission statement of the new organization was to “offer safe, welcoming shelter and supportive services to individuals and families experiencing homelessness in our community. We are dedicated to restoring dignity, nurturing hope, and helping our guests build a path toward stability, self-sufficiency, and lasting change.”
Plans included minor construction to ensure ADA compliance, a full-time executive director, a couple part-time staff, and volunteers were in the works to make the new facility as safe and functional as possible.
According to Andrew Wiese, a source close to the situation, the board that was behind the Safe Haven project has decided not to continue pursuing it.
“Jon was definitely the heart and legs of it. Without his involvement, we have not been able to get any traction. We really need a person like Jon behind it and have not been able to replace him,” Wiese wrote in email to Pen City Current.
“I wish I had better news. I agree there is a huge need to be met in this area.”
(Correction: The original story has been corrected to indicate that the church has not deeded the property to the non-profit and still maintains ownership to this point.)