Housing advocates broke ground recently on a new home in North St. Paul to serve as transitional housing for homeless veterans and their families.
Housing First Minnesota Foundation and home builder Lennar on May 22 celebrated the beginning of work on the four-bedroom home. The project is in partnership with the Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans, who will manage the residence after construction.
“Every time we get to break ground on a new house, we have a new tool to help people,” says Jon Lovald, chief operating manager at the Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans. “This particular house is right across from the Veterans Memorial Park, which is very symbolic.”
With the help of Housing First, which is linked to the professional association representing Twin Cities builders, and Lennar, the Assistance Council for Veterans has built three residences the past three years as part of their Housing for Heroes project. During their stay, veterans work with case managers to overcome challenges and prepare for their future.
There are 246 veterans registered as homeless in the state of Minnesota,175 located in Ramsey and Hennepin counties.
Donnie Brown, the foundation manager at Housing First, said while the coronavirus pandemic makes housing programs more vital, it’s also making the programs harder to fund. Housing First relies on events that generate donations and revenue, and due to social distancing orders those events cannot happen.
“Our revenue streams have dwindled,” Brown said.
COVID-19 also poses obstacles for construction timelines and staff availability. Regardless, Brown says her foundation plans to keep pushing for the cause.
A fifth home by the groups is in the works for North Minneapolis.
