MINNEAPOLIS — The closing of the YWCA in downtown Minneapolis came as a shock and disappointment to many people. What would go in there next? Would the building sit vacant? What about the children that were being served there? All those questions have been answered and, by all accounts, it turned out good for everyone involved.
The building’s new owner will be St. David’s Center. The organization is currently based out of Minnetonka. They provide inclusive early childhood education, mental health services, pediatric occupational and speech therapies, disability support services and autism day programs. They help some 5,000 children and families every year, but the need is great.
"Our waiting list has only grown in the last few years,” says CEO Julie Sjordal.
St. David’s Center has hit its capacity at its Minnetonka location. They are also in schools and homes and even have an East African Autism Day program in Minneapolis that is also full and some 2,000 kids are on waiting list.
“Two thousand kids and families who are desperate for services, whose children are presenting with complex and acute mental health needs and developmental needs,” Sjordal says.
"We really want to be an answer to addressing those alarming statistics and not have families wait 12 to 18 months for services when their children are in this critical time of brain development," she adds.
And now they can be an answer to more families. Families like mom Cara and her daughter Eva.
“When she was learning how to talk, we had a whole bunch of little words that you would expect and then I think it was around 18 months there was a regression, and those words we had were gone,” says Cara.
After an autism diagnosis, Cara was not just mom, but care manager, shuttle driver and Eva advocate.
“Before my life was on pause because I couldn't really work when I was trying to figure out all these things and get her to therapy appointments. I think people don't realize until you lived it how consuming it can be to try to navigate that,” she says.
In fact, Cara moved her family back to Minnesota, mainly to be at St. David’s Center. Eva is now in the inclusive early education program, autism day program, food therapy and music therapy. It has changed their lives.
"Her being able to ask for help, to be able to say when she is sick, that she wants a glass of water. Those are the milestones when you're an autism parent, or parent of a kid who is not able to communicate in the same way as others, those are the ones that feel huge,” Cara says.
And families are the only winners here. Last year when the YWCA announced it would be selling its Downtown Minneapolis location, many families were going to be left without the child care and programs the Y offers and the potential was very real for the building to be left vacant.
“When a prop like this comes up for sale, and it's a question of who might buy it, and what might go in there next, we're really excited to have them as partners,” says Adam Duininck, President, and CEO of the Minneapolis Downtown Council.
The building will be home to roughly 150 headquarters and staff jobs and will continue to serve children and families.
“It's a big deal for our city, and a lot of what we talk about is the future of downtown will hopefully revolve around families and children, and so having a service down here is another reason to come to downtown, or be located close, so it's a really exciting time for that,” he says.
St. David's will renovate the building and eventually be able to serve another 1,500 to 2,000 families each year. Suddenly that wait list shrinks. And a third win here? The YWCA Minnesota program will remain onsite in the organization's Downtown Early Childhood Education Center.
“They have a great reputation in the community, and this is an opportunity for the YWCA and St. David’s Center to bring our missions together,” says Sjordal.
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