On one level, The Link crisis triage center has been “a total home run,” Mayor Paul TenHaken said.
On another, the center at 123 N. Dakota Ave. operates with a loss each year and isn’t on a path yet to financial stability or sustainability.
“We operate in the red,” TenHaken said. “We use either grants we try and get, we’re eating up some reserves and other contributions, so we have a slow kind of burn down of cash at The Link right now.”
Jason Lemke was brought in late last year to try to shift the operation into positive financial territory. The newly hired Link project director has 25 years of experience in building community partnerships, fundraising and organizational development, administration and management.
He most recently served as director of donor relations at LSS of South Dakota and as chief development officer at The Compass Center.
“The Link fills an important gap in the community and in the … continuum of care for these individuals we’re seeing come through our doors,” he said…