The final phase of the Housing First Minnesota Foundation + AVIVO apartment renovation has begun!
During this phase, the last four apartments in the 100-year-old AVIVO building will undergo a complete remodel—the last chapter in the renovation of the entire building, thanks to our build partner Nor-Son Custom Builders. Since the start of this project in 2020, five builders—Mega Remodel, Cardinal Remodeling, Plekkenpol Builders, John Kraemer & Sons and The Kingdom Builders—have renovated six units in the building, making these units the final four units of ten total apartment renovations.
When completed, these apartment units will be home to women who are in the AVIVO addiction recovery program. The homes will allow these women to get the help they need, while living with their children. AVIVO is passionate about helping these women and hopes to successfully complete the project as soon as possible.
During the remodel, these spaces will be gutted and rebuilt, bringing them from dated and worn to beautiful and new. “It is a whole other feeling to live in a new, remodeled apartment,” says Tesha, an Avivo family treatment program graduate, “It makes you feel deserving. As moms living with addiction, we don’t feel like we deserve things… when you move into something new, it changes you. It makes you keep going.” These homes help the women get started in their new lives, providing them with the opportunity to thrive.
The expected project completion date is the end of 2023. After completion, four AVIVO families will call these spaces home for, on average, 12-18 months. One remodeled unit can serve at least 64 mothers and their children over the next 20 years.
A huge thank you to our newest build partner Nor-Son for making these latest remodels possible. And another thank you to our photography partner, Nordy Photography, for capturing project updates along the way.
If you’d like to learn more about the work of the Housing First Minnesota Foundation, head to their website and subscribe to their monthly e-newsletter.
