Q&A with 2022 Housing First Minnesota Foundation President, Kate Hamilton. Learn more about Housing First Minnesota’s charitable arm and how it supports initiatives to end homelessness in Minnesota.
Q. What are the impacts of our Foundation’s build projects in the community?
A: Homelessness has a ripple effect throughout the community. It impacts the availability of healthcare resources, crime and safety, the workforce, and the use of tax dollars. Further, homelessness impacts the present as well as the future. When we enter a community and build a home for a service provider addressing transitional homelessness, we find that we not only positively impact those that move into the home, but also the broader community. We engage with municipalities, community organizations, and neighbors. We are given a platform to create more awareness for the service organization we partner with and educate the community on not only who the Housing First Minnesota Foundation is, but the stigma that surrounds homelessness.
Not only does the work of the Foundation positively impact the lives of those who are provided our transitional housing, it also helps cast a positive aura over our association and industry.
Q. Why is it important for Housing First Minnesota members to get involved with the Foundation?
A: Member involvement is key to any nonprofit’s success! One of my main goals this year is to encourage the membership to make a difference. I want to encourage our members to give back and to inspire this group to be more involved or take on leadership roles. To the builders and remodelers, please consider the opportunity to become a build partner on our projects. To the associate members, please consider donating products or providing product discounts for our build projects.We can do so much more if we do it together!
For those who are already leaders, please reach out and encourage and mentor those who have a passion to move forward. No matter who you are or where you’re from, you have the power to do something that improves the lives of those in need!
Q. What’s ahead for the Foundation?
A: Our biggest investment of community builds in one year is currently underway. Four Housing for Heroes homes accompanied by four accessory dwelling units (ADUs) are in the works—delivering impactful results and providing 20 more beds. Since our first Housing for Heroes project in 2017, our Foundation, along with build partner Lennar and the Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans (MACV), will have a total of nearly 50 beds for homeless veterans transitioning to a more stable living environment.
With the support of the membership and community, the Housing First Minnesota Foundation will continue its work to build tangible housing solutions for individuals and families in need of a safe place to call home. Our supporters have the satisfaction of knowing that their donation builds real brick-and-mortar housing solutions for veterans and others who are without a home.
Additionally, we are pursuing new service organizations to add to our portfolio of groups with which we work. Stay tuned for updates on this exciting new piece!
Q. How can you support the Foundation?
A: There are endless opportunities to support the Foundation! Become a build partner and help us build safe homes for those in need or donate products and services to a build project. Consider joining a committee or our board of directors and support the Foundation with your time and expertise.
We warmly invite you all to register for our 2022 Fundraising Gala, which will be held on May 20 at the Omni Viking Lakes Hotel. Support the event by sponsoring, attending, or both!
No matter how you choose to support, know that it is going to a good cause, a good mission, and a goal to build safe housing for those in need!
Have questions you’d like to ask an expert? Send them to ask@housingfirstmn.org
