The following is the account of case management staff at St. Anne’s Place. As she recounts the events of 2020 voting for St. Anne's clients, we are reminded how crucial case management services are and how so many seemingly insurmountable challenges can be overcome with help and encouragement. Through case management services, our clients are able to conquer obstacles they never thought possible. They are able to do things for the first time. Whether it be voting in your middle years or holding the keys to your first home, success is more likely when we work together.
At St. Anne's Place, we take voting very seriously. We work to provide our residents with the support they need to utilize their voting rights and carry out their civic duties. Last month, as the election approached, staff at St. Anne's Place didn't waste any time putting those values into action. In Minnesota, voters who are living in a homeless shelter are required to have a shelter staff person accompany them to the polls to vouch for their address. This means that at St. Anne's Place we had to juggle the logistics of busy schedules and limited staff availability to figure out how to go with our residents to the polls. Additionally, with most schools doing distance learning, we were faced with another obstacle: providing childcare while moms went to the polls.
On October 22nd we began taking residents to vote early. While I, the Family Support Coordinator, drove the women to one of the early voting centers in Minneapolis, our Children's Coordinator took the kids to the Minneapolis Bouldering Project for rock climbing.
When we arrived at the early voting center it was cold and dreary, and freezing rain was pelting us. To the group's dismay, there was a long line extending from the building; we would have to wait outside in the sleet and slush if we wanted to vote. As we got in line, I checked in with the residents I was accompanying, and asked everyone if they wanted to endure the cold and stay, or leave and return to the warm vehicle. Leaving would have been the easy choice, especially since no one was dressed for the weather, but the women stayed resolute and were determined to stick it out and cast their ballots. I was proud of the choice that these women made to make their voices heard.
As we got to the front of the line, we were greeted by a small snowman atop the "Elections & Voter Services" sign, who was representative of the damp chill we were all feeling by that point.
That day, one of the residents who had come with us to vote early was also a first time voter. She was unsure about voting at first, but with encouragement and the support of the staff at St. Anne's Place, she made the decision to vote for the first time in her life. When we got back to the car after voting, I asked her how she felt. She told me that it felt good to vote and she was glad she did it.
On Election Day, I worked with our Children's Coordinator again to arrange activities for the kids of women who had still yet to vote. I ended up taking three more women to the polls on Election Day. One of the women who I accompanied to the polls on Election Day was another first time voter, and with the encouragement of the other resident who was a first time voter, she went to the polls on Election Day feeling confident and excited to exercise her right to vote.
Early voting combined with multiple trips to the polls on Election Day, we were able to provide access to voting for 90% of the women at our Emergency Shelter, St. Anne’s Place. We are so grateful we could provide the opportunity to vote and for the impact that has on the lives of the women of St. Anne’s, their children, and the greater community.
St. Anne’s Place resident holding an “I Voted Sticker” next to an American flag