Changes at St. Anne’s Place emergency shelter
Since we opened our doors as Haven Housing in 1981, we’ve been forward-looking—anticipating solutions to community needs before crises hit. For the past 43 years, we have been the only shelter provider focused specifically on the needs of women and their families. Today, the need for shelter and housing far outweighs the resources available. Haven Housing has been watching the number of families experiencing homelessness rise—today, there are more than four families needing emergency shelter for every one permanent shelter room available in Hennepin County.
Seeing this critical need, we’ve decided to act now—to change the way we work and help families move home. Last summer, we shared that after moving women and families home, we were sunsetting our Ascension Place and Next Step Housing Programs. Since then, Steps of Strategy has begun operating out of the former Ascension Place property and Start Today Hennepin is supporting all of the participants who were formerly in the Next Step Housing program. It is a sunrise for Haven Housing’s mission happening in a new way.
Now, it’s time for another strategic move. We are pleased to announce that Haven Housing plans to gift St. Anne’s Place emergency shelter to our longtime partner, People Serving People, on May 2, 2024. This is a unique response to a growing need, and we are confident it provides the best chance of making family homelessness rare, brief, and non-recurring.
“We are incredibly grateful for the generosity of Haven Housing. Entrusting us with the generous and incredible gift of St. Anne’s Place underscores our shared commitment to addressing homelessness in North Minneapolis and Hennepin County. It furthers the mission of St. Anne’s Place and People Serving People by providing vital services and a renewed effort to end homelessness for families.”
Our teams are planning for a smooth transition in May. There will be no major changes to how the program at St. Anne’s Place is run, and it will continue to be a safe haven for women, non-binary people, and the families they lead. Every family staying with us at St. Anne’s Place will still get to stay as long as they need to get back on their feet. The St. Anne’s Place team will still provide highly individualized care, focused on ensuring that families build the network of support, resources, and skills needed to stabilize and prevent homelessness in the future. People Serving People plans to hire all of the St. Anne’s Place staff so families will keep getting support from people they already know and trust.
More Opportunities for Families
One of the most transformative moments for families at St. Anne’s Place is when we can help families access daycare because it frees up time for moms to work, go to school, look for housing, and progress toward their personal goals. Plus, it helps ensure that young children consistently learn through play and socialize in ways that help them meet developmental milestones.
One mom shared, “I was reluctant to send my kids to daycare at first. My kids have always been with me, and that’s how I’ve kept them safe. Staff I trust told me about the different daycare options, so I decided to give it a try, and it’s been a game changer. I was able to start working and even have a little time to myself. Plus, my kids LOVE it.” The gift to People Serving People will further expand the early childhood education resources available to families.
People Serving People operates the Center of Excellence Preschool and Learning Center in downtown Minneapolis, a four-star Parent Aware-rated early childhood education program for young children. By gifting St. Anne’s Place to People Serving People in May, we are opening up new opportunities for children experiencing homelessness to build their social, emotional, and physical development in an environment that sees them as unique individuals. Like St. Anne’s Place prides itself on providing highly individualized care, the Center for Excellence has small class sizes and focuses on helping young children develop their own positive self-concept.
When we focus on children's needs, we help break the generational cycles of poverty and homelessness. Gifting St. Anne’s Place to People Serving People will have a positive impact on children's lives. Long-term, this unique transformation will help ensure that the children who will grow up to lead families of their own are thriving.
Stewardship of Donor and Taxpayer Dollars
“To be responsible stewards of donor and tax-payer dollars—maximizing the resources for families experiencing homelessness—we understood the importance for Haven Housing to find administrative efficiencies without sacrificing the strengths of our program. We are proud to support People Serving People and the person-centered work they champion.”
Funding for shelter and homelessness prevention services is scarce; therefore, we must optimize how we use funding to best serve families. Over the past several months, Haven Housing has operated St. Anne’s Place as its only program, and it has become clear that there are significant administrative needs to manage the shelter effectively. To be the most responsible stewards of the donor and taxpayer dollars that fund St. Anne’s Place, we looked for ways to achieve efficiencies without sacrificing the quality of our program.
People Serving People is the state’s largest family shelter and has a robust structure to ensure staff are well supported. With decades of experience doing this work well, it makes sense to leverage their expertise. Gifting St. Anne’s Place to People Serving People, on the other hand, will achieve efficiencies and create economies of scale to ensure that every dollar you give has the maximum positive impact for families experiencing homelessness.
Sunset for Haven Housing and a Sunrise on the New Vision to Serve Families
Once the gift is complete and St. Anne’s Place has fully transitioned to People Serving People, Haven Housing will sunset and dissolve as a nonprofit organization. This is bittersweet. Over the past 43 years, we have helped thousands of families move home. With your help, we’ve done work we can be proud of. And this is not the end. With this gift, the sun will rise on our new vision to serve families. Together, we will create a community where every family can thrive—a community where there are fewer crises, but when they do hit, families have the support needed to stabilize quickly. We will expand opportunities for families, and People Serving People will continue to ensure that St. Anne’s Place can be the best steward of your donation. This sunset is courageous because it opens the door for something new.
St. Anne’s Place Needs Your Continued Support
Donors and volunteers like you are critical to ensuring that we can offer exciting enrichment activities at St. Anne’s Place, like field trips, art activities, music therapy, and tutoring. We hope you will continue supporting the work at St. Anne’s Place and the families we serve through People Serving People. We respect your privacy and will not provide donor, email subscriber, or volunteer information to People Serving People unless you give us permission. You can contact Amanda Finman Palmer to connect directly with the team at People Serving People. Please sign up for the People Serving People e-newsletter to continue to get updates about St. Anne's Place.
FAQs
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Yes. Every family staying at St. Anne’s Place will still be able to stay as long as they need to get back on their feet. No families will be displaced during this transition.
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People Serving People will continue the highly individualized care and gender-specific services that are a hallmark of St. Anne’s Place. People Serving People does not plan to change the St. Anne’s Place program model, but we know that we can always grow and improve. By giving the gift of St. Anne’s Place to People Serving People, we open up new pathways for families to access the Center of Excellence early childhood education program and other homelessness prevention programs. We trust People Serving People will continue to develop the St. Anne’s Place program in line with Haven Housing’s mission to provide shelter and the opportunity for families to explore options for the future.
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Yes. Program and food service staff at St. Anne’s Place will continue in their current positions and simply become employees of People Serving People. As a larger organization, People Serving People can offer improved compensation and benefit packages in recognition of the important work our staff do.
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This partnership is not a merger. Haven Housing and People Serving People have been partners for decades. We have each been running family shelters, with similarities and differences. For example, St. Anne’s Place has 16 shelter rooms for women and non-binary person-led families. People Serving People’s downtown Minneapolis shelter has 99 rooms that also serve male-led families and two-parent households. By giving the St. Anne’s Place program as a gift, we are ensuring that the gender-specific care that St. Anne’s Place is known for continues. Additionally, Haven Housing has operated programs for single women in the past, which is outside the scope of People Serving People’s mission.
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Visit their website and sign up for their e-newsletter. You can also contact Angela McLaughlin to learn more about opportunities to support the ongoing work at St. Anne’s Place.
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Yes! You can still give only to St. Anne’s Place online, by check, or by donor advised fund to
People Serving People – Donations, 614 3rd Street South, Minneapolis, MN 55415
When giving by check or donor advised fund, simply note that your donation is for St. Anne’s Place.
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If you recently gave to Haven Housing, your donation will support the families at St. Anne’s Place emergency family shelter. When Haven Housing dissolves as a nonprofit organization, all of its assets will be transferred to People Serving People. If you have any questions or concerns about your donation, please contact Emily Seddon.
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No. We respect your privacy and will not transfer any donor information without your permission. People Serving People also welcomes monthly recurring donations. You can set up a monthly donation to St. Anne’s Place through People Serving People here.
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Once the gift of St. Anne’s Place to People Serving People is complete in May, Haven Housing will no longer be operating any programs and will dissolve as a nonprofit corporation. Haven Housing could have launched new programs, but we want to let the incredible work being done by nonprofits across the housing continuum shine. Limited resources for shelter and housing is a real challenge for nonprofits, and we want to uplift the work already underway.Item description