Haven Housing is set to embark on a nearly $3 million multi-phase project that will enhance the safety and health of the moms and their children who stay at the 82-year old-former convent that houses St. Anne’s Place emergency shelter.
“This project is happening now because the pandemic highlighted the importance to have a safe place to study, eat, live and sleep when sheltering in place,” says Haven Housing Executive Director Monica Nilsson. “The health benefits are important, but having centralized air conditioning for the first time since St. Anne’s Place emergency shelter opened more than 20 years ago is what many of us are most excited about. On hot summer days, it gets too hot for guests to sleep in their rooms, so we’ve put air mattresses in the community room, which isn’t always much cooler. That disruption and stress doesn’t make it any easier to parent or to be rested for a productive day as moms work to find a home.”
The renovation project addresses many of the challenges posed by an aging building (built in 1940) and St. Anne’s Place's original use as a convent. Some of the sleeping rooms–originally meant for one nun–are small for families with multiple children. In 2021, the American Institute of Architects of Minnesota helped Haven Housing envision how all of the small space innovations and technologies that exist today could transform the spaces. Later this year, that vision will come to fruition.
St. Anne’s Place is one of only two emergency family shelters in Hennepin County. “Serving only 16 families a night provides us an opportunity to build a strong rapport with each shelter guest and provide highly individualized support as they pursue their goals of employment, education, health, and housing,” said St. Anne’s Place Program Manager Muriel Dorbor.
“This work wouldn’t be possible without our staff, government partners, and donors who believe everyone deserves safe shelter,” said Nilsson. “Completing these needed improvements at St. Anne’s Place will allow us to continue our mission to provide a stable environment for women and their children as they heal from trauma and create a more hopeful future for themselves.”
In March, Haven Housing received a $942,224 award from the City of Minneapolis, consisting of three U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funded Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG). The City of Minneapolis' Business, Inspections, Housing, and Zoning Committee also recommended $1,880,459 of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding for the project, which the City Council will vote on in April. These awards enable Haven Housing to embark on the multi-phase project this month while raising the remaining funds needed to install a new HVAC system to increase ventilation and transform bathrooms, the kitchen, and sleeping rooms into more functional and dignified living spaces for shelter guests.
The most significant renovation work will begin in early May 2022. Haven Housing plans to move its shelter services to a hotel for some months this summer while St. Anne’s Place needs to be vacant for construction. Staff are working to minimize disruption for shelter guests.
Other Information
Read the full press release about the Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) funding award from the City of Minneapolis
View our letter (PDF) to our neighbors about the project in English, Español (Spanish), tiếng Việt (Vietnamese), Hmoob (Hmong), and Somali.
Update: This news feature was updated from its original March 21, 2022 version on March 30, 2022 to include new information about the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding that was recommended for the project.