Call me Ungrateful

Do you know the good feeling of using quality products or wearing new clothes? You can help us offer that to our residents. Living on limited incomes, our residents are accustomed to using dollar-store brands. The products do their job but don’t leave women with that “I can overcome any obstacle” feeling. We want every resident to know they are worthy of love and care, and you help show that by providing quality products. 

Community members regularly offer Haven Housing used clothing, linens, shoes, household items, and travel-sized toiletries, which we turn down because we do not need these items. On occasion, we’ve been called ungrateful, but we set this boundary because we want you to be part of our mission. We owe it to you, our donors, to communicate our needs so that your generosity can help provide women and women-led families in crisis or transition with shelter and housing and the opportunity to explore options for their future.

Haven Housing is not a thrift store. We do not have the staffing or storage space to manage an inventory of used goods. Haven Housing staff and volunteers focus on providing services to the women and children we serve and don’t have time to manage inventory. We try to optimize our spaces for residents and programming. There isn’t much storage space, and we need what is available to store new items for residents when they move into or out of our programs. Haven Housing residents have access to quality thrift stores like our partners at Goodwill-Easter Seals and access to apartment furnishings through Bridging; they do not need us to provide that service.

We need to protect the health and safety of our staff and residents. Donations of used goods have often sat unused in a donor’s home, garage, or attic for a while, and in that time, collected dust and animal hair or dirt and bugs may have gotten in. In recent months, we’ve also had to worry about the spread of diseases like Monkeypox. We ask for new items because we cannot clean and sanitize donations.

Women and children stay with us for as long as they need, so the supplies need to last that long. Whether it takes a couple of months to find an apartment or a year or more to stabilize in recovery, Haven Housing residents need clothing, hygiene products, and other necessities that will last that long. Giving new clothing and full-sized products shows women and children that you care about their long-term success. Travel-sized toiletries and single pairs of socks and underwear are much more useful to nonprofits like Agate that provide outreach to unsheltered people. 

Every woman and family has different needs. Monetary donations provide Haven Housing with the greatest flexibility to meet a person’s needs when it arises. We strive to keep our supply needs up to date on our website, and you can always email us with questions. Thank you for being so supportive! We are grateful for your help to ensure that everyone has safety, dignity, and opportunity to thrive—a haven.

Rachel's Story

You try to ignore it—to not worry about things before they actually become a problem—but most of us are one unexpected stroke of bad luck away from a housing crisis. That’s what happened to Rachel earlier this year. And that's why I'm asking for your help.

Rachel had a good job that paid a decent wage when she got COVID. After missing several days of work, her daughter also got sick. Rachel stayed home to care for her. She lost her job as a result of these unexpected absences because the COVID employment protections had ended. She was forced to decide between keeping her job and protecting her health, her daughter’s health, and the health of all of the people she would have had to interact with if she went to work sick.

Quickly, the choice between her job and health turned into a choice between her job, health, and home. With finances already stretched thin as a single mom, Rachel didn’t have enough money to pay rent after she lost her job. Her landlord evicted her and, for the first time in her life, she was homeless.

Rachel was able to find a place of respite at Haven Housing, staying for several weeks at St. Anne’s Place emergency family shelter, which is one of just two family shelters serving all of Hennepin County. At Haven Housing, she felt safe, processed the emotion of losing her job and her housing, and began thinking about the future.

At Haven Housing, Rachel and her daughter had a place to sleep and three healthy meals every day. Just as importantly, they always felt welcomed by the staff. Rachel worked with staff to prepare for her job search, earn her driver’s license, and make sure her daughter was registered and ready to begin kindergarten.

Rachel is not letting her experience with homelessness define her. She has dreams and is working hard to achieve them, including preparing to go back to school and pursue a degree in criminal justice.

Will you give today to make sure that women and children can recover from an unexpected crisis? Your generosity will help families like Rachel's. As long as our economy forces moms to choose between their families, jobs, and basic needs, Haven Housing will be a place for women and children to stabilize and explore options for their future.

Because everyone deserves a haven.

“I look forward to partnering with you”

A message from Lissa Jones-Lofgren, Haven Housing interim Executive Director

You may not know me yet, but you know the work and talented staff at Haven Housing. And, in a way, you know the women and families we serve; many of us are one unexpected financial crisis away from needing the kind of support Haven Housing provides. We have, or know someone who has, had to work to heal our mental health or sustain our sobriety.

Toni Morrison wrote, “What you do to children matters. And they might never forget.” As Interim Executive Director at Haven Housing, this is my responsibility. I am committed to creating places of respite that welcome every intersection of humanity so that everyone knows they matter and have a choice about their future.

Lissa joins the Haven Housing team at our All-Staff picnic

You can’t think well in an emergency. The chronic stress of multiple crises, fear, and trauma changes our brains, but the good news is that healing does too. We may not eradicate homelessness in our lifetime, but we can provide a safe place today. We can prove to the women and non-binary people we serve that we understand them and help them help themselves. And in doing so, we can start to break the cycle of homelessness.

My life’s work as a culture coach, helping unlock potential and create stronger, more inclusive, and more welcoming teams, initially brought me to Haven Housing, where I helped advance inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility priorities. Staff inspired me, and I saw myself and my family in the people Haven Housing serves. Like many of you, I became a donor to the organization. Then, when the Board asked me to take on the interim leadership role, I said yes—committing to this work with my full heart.

I am asking you to help care for the families at our emergency shelter and residents in our supportive housing programs. Jobs without health insurance or time off during an illness, wages so low that families can’t afford necessities, and a lack of housing affordable to people living on these low wages put women and families at a huge disadvantage. Since last year, family homelessness has increased more than 250% in Hennepin County. Most of these families look like mine…could be mine or could be yours.

Our hardworking staff has gone above and beyond as we’ve increased the number of families we serve. And soon, we will complete our renovation at St. Anne’s Place, welcoming our guests to a healthier and more vibrant place. Our staff also provides highly individualized support to each person that comes through our doors. In our staff, I see the spirit of service that has grounded Haven Housing for more than 40 years.

I invite you to join us in ensuring every woman, non-binary person, and family that comes through our doors feels welcomed and finds a place where they can stabilize, grow, and build their future. You can contact me, give, volunteer, and share our work.

Humbled by this opportunity and excited about our future,

Lissa Jones-Lofgren

Interim Executive Director

Haven Housing Announces Lissa Jones-Lofgren as Interim Executive Director

The Board of Directors thanks Monica Nilsson for her service, and begins search for new leader

Today, the Haven Housing Board of Directors is announcing that it will begin a search for the organization’s next executive director. Monica Nilsson will transition out of her role as Executive Director and Lissa Jones-Lofgren will serve as interim Executive Director during the search process.

The Board of Directors remains committed to Haven Housing’s mission to provide women and children in crisis or transition with a stable environment and the opportunity to explore options for their future. We want to thank Monica for her leadership in pursuit of this life-changing work. Specifically, the significant renovation at St. Anne's Place wouldn't have been possible without her consistent advocacy. We wish her well in her next endeavors and appreciate her work to ensure a smooth transition.

Lissa Jones-Lofgren brings a wealth of experience to the interim executive director role as a culture-coach who has assisted myriad non-profit organizations in their development. Lissa previously worked with Haven Housing staff and Board Members to advance inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility priorities and comes into this role with knowledge and relationships that will serve Haven Housing well through this transition.

We are at an important juncture in our collective work to serve women and families experiencing homelessness and housing instability and who are working to sustain their chemical and mental health. Recently, Haven Housing doubled its shelter capacity to serve the increasing number of homeless families. But even after this expansion, we are still full. More families need shelter and more women call for housing than we have rooms or apartments. We can’t meet this moment without our talented staff, partners, and donors.

Together, we are excited to take this next step in Haven Housing’s journey so that we can ensure every woman and family that comes through our doors has the chance to heal, grow and begin anew. Everyone deserves a haven.

We would love to talk to you more, please email us and our team will follow up.

Sincerely,

Emily Stearns, Haven Housing Board Chair

Volunteer Spotlight: Hearts Broken Eyes Open

Haven Housing couldn’t function without the gift of time and energy from our amazing volunteers. We are grateful for Kristin Gifford and the organization she leads, Hearts Broken Eyes Open (HBEO), an open and affirming collective of friends in the Twin Cities committed to pursuing social change and racial justice together through learning, healing, and service. In the aftermath of George Floyd's murder, what had been a small, casual Bible study group, turned into an active, growing group committed to justice and seeking ways to dismantle racism in the local community. After learning more about our mission at Haven Housing, volunteers with Hearts Broken Eyes Open hosted an interactive blanket drive. Soon after, the group began hosting a monthly Sunday meal for St. Anne’s palace emergency family shelter guests. They have been purchasing and delivering these monthly dinners for more than a year! In addition, HBEO has organized volunteers to help with an annual back-to-school event and an evening yoga/mindfulness activity designed for children.

 We are beyond grateful for Kristin and volunteers with Hearts Broken Eyes Open for their pursuit of a more just community and world through acts of learning and service. Thank you for all you do and will continue to do

If you want to learn more about Hearts Broken Eyes Open visit their website (heartsbrokeneyesopen.com).

Serving More Families

Serving More Families

 As homelessness rises, 211% more Hennepin County families are in need of shelter than one year ago

Swimming at the beach. Root beer floats. Laughter under the sun. These are the things that should be on kids’ minds this summer. But for a growing number of kids in our community, they are instead worrying about where they will sleep tonight. 

More than 110 families in Hennepin County sought emergency shelter at the end of June, a 211% increase over last year. As federal rental assistance has ended and eviction protections have lapsed, more families are struggling to keep their housing—their homes. We are stepping up to support families during this crisis. 

A smiling pre-teen with chalk-covered hands from climbing at Minneapolis Bouldering Project highlights a rainbow heart mosaic on the wall. Photo Credit: Michael Schram.

Our St. Anne’s Place emergency shelter is planning to serve nearly double the number of pregnant women and families this summer and fall. We will expand our capacity from 16 families to serve up to 30 under a contract with Hennepin County. This is a big lift for us, and we are actively working to hire more staff to meet the needs of families. 

“The difference between this summer and last is dramatic. Many more families are in desperate need of shelter,” said Monica Nilsson, Executive Director. “Everyone deserves a safe and stable place to lay their head at night and Hennepin County asked us to meet this challenge for our community.”

We are in a unique position this summer operating St. Anne’s Place emergency shelter from a temporary location while our North Minneapolis building undergoes a renovation. 

“If we weren’t in this temporary location, it would be very difficult to serve more families,” said Muriel Dorbor, Program Manager for St. Anne’s Place. “Our staff is working hard to help families find permanent, stable housing, while also keeping summer fun for the children here. From the playground to the zoo, to partner locations like the Minneapolis Bouldering Project, we get to see a lot of smiles.”

At Haven Housing, we are doing our job so that the kids we serve can do theirs— Smile. Laugh. And have a carefree summer. You can help support women and families this summer with a donation. 

Statement on Roe v. Wade Decision

As an organization that serves the specific needs of women and women-led families, we are committed to ensuring every woman has the right to make decisions about her own healthcare. The U.S. Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade puts the health and safety of women at risk.

We join millions of Americans in voicing our anger at this decision, and our resolve to ensure women and families have every opportunity to be healthy, supported, and free.

Haven Housing will work with our partners to advocate for better healthcare, more housing, access to education, and stronger supportive services. You can learn more about the laws affecting reproductive justice in Minnesota at UnRestrict Minnesota.

Giving Food a Second Chance

How Haven Housing Gives Food a Second Chance with Food Rescue

By: Samantha Solberg - Communications Specialist, 2nd Harest Heartland

Haven Housing is an emergency shelter and supportive housing program that serves women and women-led families in Minneapolis. As a meal program partner of Second Harvest Heartland, Haven Housing utilizes donations of excess food from restaurants and grocers to provide meals and snacks for their residents each day.

"At our Ascension Place community, we serve 32 women who live here," explained Michael Weiler, Haven Housing's food services manager. “For breakfast [the residents] can have whatever they want to eat, but we prepare meals both for lunch and dinner.”

To create these meals, Michael and his staff depend on donations of surplus prepared food from local businesses. Known as prepared food rescue, the process involves accepting donations of already-cooked food from restaurants, caterers and schools that would otherwise end up in landfills. To find this food, Haven Housing uses MealConnect, an app that links businesses with extra food to nonprofits that can use that food. Haven Housing’s chefs are experts in repurposing these rescued foods into delicious, balanced meals for their residents.

“Yesterday we got stuff from Target Corporation downtown and they sent grab-and-go stuff and a chicken dish. So, what we do is we will use everything that we can,” explained Michael. “We check everything and make sure it's good, then we just piece it out. The sandwiches we'll either put in the resident fridge and they just grab them just like they would at Target or we'll serve them on trays.”

Along with accepting donations of prepared food, Michael works with Second Harvest Heartland’s retail food rescue team. Retail food rescue is our largest source of donated food. Last year, Second Harvest Heartland worked with more than 500 retail stores, which collected nearly 40 million pounds of food. Most mornings, Michael visits one of their grocery store partners to collect unsold but perfectly edible and nutritious produce, meat, bakery, dairy, shelf-stable and deli items.

Around 75% of the food Haven Housing utilizes in their kitchens comes from these prepared and retail food rescue partnerships established through Second Harvest Heartland. By utilizing food rescue, Haven Housing is also contributing to creating a more sustainable world. By saving food and providing nutritious meals to hungry neighbors, they are reducing the environmental impact of wasted food in our community.

“Agency-wide we're very conscientious of everything that we do,” said Michael of the organization's commitment to sustainability. “We always talk about rescuing food and it sounds silly, but to us it means something different. We're not only saving so much money, but we're just saving so much waste.”

Learn more: Find out more about the benefits of food rescue and follow Haven Housing on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

Originally posted by 2nd Harvest Heartland, June 15 , 2022