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Emergency center for youth, set to replace existing facility, to open next year in Rochester – Post Bulletin
ROCHESTER — On a 7-acre plot just south of Rochester, construction on a new emergency youth center — set to replace the current Von Wald Youth Center on the same property — is underway. The new facility “will be a national model for kids who need help,” said Dan Pfarr, CEO of 180 Degrees, the […]

ROCHESTER — On a 7-acre plot just south of Rochester, construction on a new emergency youth center — set to replace the current Von Wald Youth Center on the same property — is underway.
The new facility “will be a national model for kids who need help,” said Dan Pfarr, CEO of 180 Degrees, the supportive housing and social services organization that operates the center.
“The whole idea is to really build a facility where you can thrive, and where they’re just not put in a place to be,” Pfarr said.
Staff from 180 Degrees, project benefactors and other community guests toured the new building on Thursday, June 5. Most of its walls and windows are in place, but appliances, doors and other furnishings are yet to be installed.
The center serves 12- to 19-year-olds in Southeast Minnesota who are dealing with housing insecurity, a family crisis, mental health, behavioral health and/or substance abuse. Depending on their situation, they might stay at Von Wald for a few nights, a few weeks or several months.
The current Von Wald building, Pfarr said, has been used as an emergency center for youth since the 1980s. Previously, it was a day care, and before that, it was a farmhouse. With eight bedrooms, a few living areas and a small office for staff, privacy and space for both staff and clients are a present concern.

Sophia Marschall / Post Bulletin
“I knew from day one that we needed to do something different, both for the health of our kids and the safety of our kids,” said Pfarr, who joined 180 Degrees in 2015. “This building had served its purpose.”
Youth will continue to use the current building up until the point the new building is ready to be lived in, which Pfarr said could happen in November. A grand opening is anticipated in early 2026.
The new building is divided into two halves: business and home, Pfarr said. The front half of the building designates space for staff offices, a staff break room, a donation room, classrooms and a wellness room where, for example, a teen can be administered their medicine.
“We can have family meetings, we can have community convenings … we can host workshops,” Pfarr said. “We’re able to have the kids separated so they can have privacy.”
Sophia Marschall / Post Bulletin
A large, open dining space bridges the “business” and “home” ends of the building. It will feature floor-to-ceiling windows on its north and south walls that can open up, which “allows for nature to come inside,” said Sara Marquardt, a youth case manager at the center.
A kitchen is located off the dining area. In the current center, Marquardt said meals are prepared on-site, and youth can help cook and bake if they wish. That tradition will continue in the new building, she said.
Accommodating up to 12 youth at one time, the “home” half of the new center will feature individual bedrooms with big windows and closets. Each “pod” of four bedrooms will have its own shared bathroom and laundry room.
Besides bedrooms, there are multiple rooms designated as music, art and gaming spaces, a fitness room, a big living area and two calming rooms. Those rooms, Marquardt said, can be used when a client is overwhelmed and needs a quiet, private spot to calm down. They can also be used for prayer or meditation.
Sophia Marschall / Post Bulletin
“In our current building, we don’t have a space for that,” Marquardt said. “Kids just have to go to their rooms, and it feels like a punishment.”
Outside, after the new building is complete, Pfarr said 180 Degrees will restore prairie and build trails on the grounds, along with setting up solar panels to reduce the facility’s emissions.
Opportunities to sponsor rooms in the new center are available on 180 Degrees’
project webpage.
Sophia Marschall / Post Bulletin
Sophia Marschall / Post Bulletin