ST PAUL, Minn. — Moving into any apartment, let alone a brand new one in St. Paul's Highland Bridge Development, is something Katie Kelly couldn't even imagine until recently.
"It's a chance to be closer to home, closer to family," Kelly said. "The last two years were the longest I had been in one place in over five years."
Kelly battled homelessness for much of that time before eventually finding help and entering project-based housing near downtown St. Paul in 2022. Then, last fall, she learned her rental assistance voucher qualified her for a place inside the newly opened, and deeply affordable, Nellie Francis Court apartments.
Katie Kelly: "It feels really good. It's been quiet."
Erdahl: "In a good way?"
Kelly: "Yes, in a great way. Where I moved from I was right between a hospital and a police station. There were people sleeping in our foyer. The homelessness and a number of other things are making it really tough for people who are on the lower income spectrum."
That quiet is more than just a coincidence at Restoring Waters Apartments just down the block.
"All of the architectural decisions and designs and finishes are meant to calm your automatic nervous system," said Tonya Brownlow, Executive Director of Emma Norton, a trauma-informed nonprofit that is also housed in the new building. "It brings you off that edge of what your body goes through when it experiences trauma."
Brownlow says the team at Emma Norton is now able to work on site to directly help women, individuals and families emerge from homelessness. Many also live with disabling conditions involving chemical dependency, chronic health issues or mental health concerns.
"Our last site was more dormitory style, so it was shared bedrooms and we had about 30 to 35 people at a time," Brownlow said. "This new building, it's 60 full apartment units. People can do their own cooking and just have their own, more normal, tenant life. Then we provide case management services to support them."
"This is just the beginning of what you'll see."
Project for Pride in Living (PPL) is the organization behind Nellie Francis Court and Restoring Waters, and it's one of two organizations that will develop eight more lots within the Highland Bridge development in the coming years.
Karla Henderson, Senior Vice President of Housing Stability for PPL, says there are several more affordable – and deeply affordable – projects in the works across the region.
One of those future projects includes a five-story, 60-unit affordable apartment building at 892 East Seventh St., which is geared specifically to multigenerational families that struggle with both affordability and space.
"Over half of the units will be either 3, 4 or 5 bedrooms, all affordable, 30-50% AMI, which is the Average Median Income, so deep affordability," Henderson said. "We also will be supporting families who are experiencing homelessness."
"It's not happening fast enough."
For the past 30 years, Face to Face has worked to help young people who are trying to find housing. It's one of many services the organization provides, but lately, it has become a constant struggle.
"Navigating the system to find affordable housing is one of the most difficult things I've had to do," said Hanna Getachew-Kreusser, Executive Director of Face to Face. "All of the providers of service are really struggling with where to refer people to when it comes to housing. We get new young people coming to us - about 60-80 on average - every month."
The problem has grown so much that they have recently been working to lead their own development in an empty lot at 1170 Arcade St., which is directly across from their headquarter.
The building, which they hope to break ground on next year, would feature 20 deeply affordable apartments for families earning no more than 30% of area median income.
"This would allow us to offer support right in the building," Kreusser said.
But despite having the land, a plan and demonstrated need, she says securing the required $13 million in funding is a work in progress, especially among so many layers of public and private sources.
She says making that resource a reality will require serious funding - and fundraising - in the months to come. Face to Face will hold a special fundraising event on June 5th. Click here for more information.
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