As we look back on 2021, we continue to be amazed by the generosity of our community whose ongoing support has allowed us to serve more families than ever! Here are a few highlights from the year:
- Over 500 individuals accessed affordable housing and holistic services through our eight supportive housing programs.
- We launched a rapid resolution program, in partnership with Washington County, to help families avoid emergency shelter, whenever possible, and find other housing alternatives.
- Our new Home2Stay program allows us to provide prevention assistance and rapid re-housing services to families in Ramsey and Washington counties.
- Our Homework Starts with Home (HSWH) Partnership was renewed by the State of Minnesota for another three years! One of only three collaborations to be funded across the state, the Suburban HSWH Collaborative provides affordable housing to families with school-aged children while they work to achieve economic stability and academic success.
- We expanded the HSWH program into four more Washington County school districts, allowing us to reach even more families!
- 20 families received housing choice vouchers through our new partnership with Metro HRA.
- We partnered with the White Bear Area Food Shelf to provide a monthly, on-site, mobile market to families living at our East Metro Place Apartments located in White Bear Lake.
- Over 110 families received gifts through the Holiday Express.
- To better meet the growing need for our services, we realigned our staffing structures and increased organizational capacity, thus ensuring future sustainability.
None of this would be possible without the generous support of our donors. ‘We’re in this together,’ continues to be our mantra as we move forward into 2022. We know that safe, stable, and affordable housing is the foundation of healthy, successful families and thriving communities.
The past couple of years have been challenging as the dual pandemics of COVID-19 and systemic racism continue to disproportionally impact the families we serve. We acknowledge systemic racism, classism, and other forms of discrimination as primary causes of the affordable housing crisis and homelessness. We continue our work to right these wrongs as a housing and service provider by stabilizing families, elevating community voices, and eliminating systemic inequities.
Together, we will work until every family has a safe and affordable home, where parents and children thrive in school, work and their community, and can fully realize their goals and dreams.