At Solid Ground, we help families and children break the cycle of homelessness and poverty.
We provide housing and supportive services to over 841 individuals each year in our eight supportive housing programs, helping families build the strong foundations they need for a brighter future.
100% of the families served by Solid Ground live in Ramsey County and Washington County. While the majority of our families consist of single mothers with young children, we serve all family structures, including single fathers and two-parent families.
We provide:
Solid Ground meets families where they are and supports parents in achieving their goals of stability and self-sufficiency.
In addition to safe, affordable housing, Solid Ground provides parents with services that support long-term goals of increased stability, improved health, and long-term success. The support provided by Solid Ground helps parents who are living in our housing programs build the strong foundations that their families need to break the cycle of homelessness and poverty.
Families and their Advocates work together to develop an individualized goal plan that addresses four key areas: 1) Housing Stability; (2) Economic Stability; (3) Educational Advancement; (4) Improved Health & Living Skills.
Each parent attends a six-week workshop on creating and maintaining a household budget. Topics covered include repairing their credit, using financial institutions to build wealth, and basic financial management. Also covered in the class are tenant/landlord rights and responsibilities and conflict resolution to increase a family’s ability to maintain housing when they leave Solid Ground.
The use of Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) skills training is a unique feature to Solid Ground. We were the first agency in the Twin Cities (and possibly the nation) to provide DBT skills training in a family supportive housing setting. DBT assists clients in the regulation of emotions typically brought on by severe stress and trauma and has been shown to help our clients successfully manage their mental and chemical health.
Solid Ground partners with the White Bear Lake Area Schools and their Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE) program to provide the Conscious Discipline framework to families in Solid Ground programming. Through these classes, families become more aware of the importance of self-regulation as an effective and positive way to handle the challenges of parenting.
Solid Ground also partners with NAMI MN, MKG Parent Coach, Mother’s First, and others. We are expanding our partnerships with new school districts and organizations all the time.
Solid Ground provides group and individual employment services to support families in gaining and maintaining employment and ultimately achieving greater economic stability. Individual tutoring is offered as needed to adult students at East Metro Place. Tutoring is designed to help adult learners prepare for their GED exams or in their college courses.
Staff assist parents and their children in accessing needed resources, such as financial aid for school, affordable childcare, transportation, chemical dependency treatment, mental health services, support groups, etc.
As families near the completion of their program, staff work with parents to develop a plan for securing permanent housing. Staff continue to provide advocacy and assistance as needed upon a family’s departure from Solid Ground.
With the support of our generous donors, we provide donated furniture, household and personal care items, free of charge, as well as birthday and holiday gifts.
Solid Ground provides a supportive learning and living environment in which families with children can thrive. We provide a variety of programs and activities to help children in our housing programs grow socially, emotionally, and academically.
The Learning & Enrichment Program provides after-school tutoring at East Metro Place for kids in grades K-8. The program is led by experienced educators and involves over 60 volunteers from the community to provide one-to-one tutoring in reading and math skills. This program impacts more than just a child’s academic success, it also helps to improve their children’s attitude and behavior.
Learn MORE about being a tutor.
Fun and educational activities are provided to both adults and children, including various holiday and cultural celebrations, trips to museums, parks, sporting events, etc.
Each August, we collect school supplies for Solid Ground families, so that each child is properly prepared for the beginning of the school year and academic success.
Solid Ground provides childcare during adult programming as well as a variety of early learning opportunities for our littlest ones throughout the year. We are almost always in need of volunteers to assist us in caring for children.
LEARN MORE about becoming a volunteer.
