Community Project Funding FY 2023
Information on all Fiscal Year 2023 CPF requests submitted by the Office of Congresswoman Ilhan Omar is listed below in no particular order:
Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Subcommittee
Project: Multifamily Land Trust for Affordable Housing Project
$3,000,000
City of St. Louis Park, 5005 Minnetonka Boulevard, St. Louis Park, MN 55416
The requested $3 million would fund the acquisition and renovation of a naturally occurring affordable housing apartment building in St. Louis Park. This project utilizes the land-trust model to remove land costs from the project, facilitating long-term affordability. This funding is critical to reducing the displacement of low-income households due to gentrification. Not only does this project increase accessibility to affordable housing, but also addresses climate change through energy and sustainability improvements.
Certification Letter
Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Subcommittee
Project: Low Income Housing Improvements for Persons with Disabilities in Minneapolis, Golden Valley, and St. Anthony
$514,000
Accessible Space, Inc. 2550 University Avenue West, North St. Paul, MN 55114
The requested $514,000 would ensure the long-term preservation of accessible, affordable apartments for extremely low/very-low-income persons with disabilities throughout Minneapolis, Golden Valley, and St. Anthony. These improvements make independent community living a possibility for adults with disabilities, seniors, and veterans within their communities. Federal support for improvements will significantly reduce maintenance expenses, prevent high-cost emergency repairs, and reduce the need for increases in the contract rents in the federal/HUD rental assistance contract which keeps resident rents affordable.
Certification Letter
Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Subcommittee
Project: Avenues for Youth Housing and Headquarters
$6,000,000
Avenues for Youth, at 1708 Oak Park Avenue North, Minneapolis, MN 55411
The requested $6,000,000 would go towards providing enhanced shelter space and transitional housing unit for youth experiencing homelessness. The funding would be used for Avenues for Youth new space in North Minneapolis that will increase the already provided shelter and transitional housing units for youth experiencing homelessness. Every night in Minnesota, almost 5,000 youth experience homelessness and there is only a fraction of shelters beds for them. The site will also include much-needed affordable apartments for youth and will serve as the new administrative headquarters. The mission is to be able to offer youth a place to sleep instead of living on the streets in locations unfit for habitation, trade sex for shelter, or stay in abusive situations. This new home will offer more housing options for youth regardless of age and gender, providing dignified, youth-centered spaces and contribute to improved outcomes. The goal of this project is to grow their current services, own a permanent home, and provide flexibility to expand and prepare for the future.
Certification Letter
Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Subcommittee
Project: Wood Lake Nature Center Building Project
$5,000,000
City of Richfield, 6700 Portland Ave, Richfield, MN 55423
The requested $5 million would go towards construction of an ADA-accessible, energy efficient Wood Lake Nature Center Building. 100,000 thousand people visit the Center each year; with an annual average of 22,500 thousand people attending programs at the facility. The current building is over 50 years old, in a state of disrepair, and the demand for visitors has outgrown the space - dozens of visit requests from schools are denied every year due to space constraints. The goal of this project is to ensure that families in Richfield, which are majority people of color, and others throughout Minnesota’s Fifth can access the services and education offered at Wood Lake Nature Center.
Certification Letter
Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Subcommittee
Project: Renovation of Snelling Motel to Affordable Housing for Veterans
$750,000
Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans, 1000 University Ave West Suite 10, Saint Paul, MN 55104
The requested $750,000 would supplement state, local, and philanthropic support to acquire and convert the current facilities into independent permanent housing units suitable for long-term habitation. The funding would be used to convert the Snelling Motel into affordable housing for Veterans who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. Minnesota is experiencing a critical shortage of affordable housing, Veterans with low income are at a great disadvantage in the current housing market, especially in the twin cities metropolitan region. Expansion of the supportive housing program would help underrepresented Veterans stabilize their lives by providing affordable housing suited to the unique needs of this population.
Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Subcommittee
Project: Northside Youth Greenhouse
$3,000,000
The requested $3 million would go towards the 1,700 square foot greenhouse with an adjacent 1,700 square foot headhouse to be used as a work center and gathering space. The Northside Youth Greenhouse is a creative way of approaching food access in North Minneapolis, exercising quality youth development to effectively impact systems change in education, community engagement, and access to healthier food options. The goal of this project is to effectively grow plants, provide a year-round home that for the community to access and learn about healthier foods, and a safe space for Northside youth to strengthen their skills and connect with their community.
Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Subcommittee
Project: Birth Center Improvement
$600,000
WomenVenture, 165 Western Ave N., Suite 8, Office #100, Saint Paul, MN 55102
The requested $600,000 would fund improvements to Roots Community Birth Center in North Minneapolis, which provides prenatal care and birthing services. This funding would go towards improvements to their current space and renovations in a newly acquired building across the street. This would allow Roots to serve more families, make out-of-hospital births more accessible, and expand their Perinatal Safe Spot. North Minneapolis is a predominantly Black community facing substantial health inequities across the board, including maternal and infant health outcomes. By increasing the number of community members that Roots can serve, this project is a critical way to help narrow Minnesota’s racial disparities which are some of the most severe in the country.
Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Subcommittee
Project: Establishing Safe Refuge to South-Asian Diasporic Communities in Minnesota
$2,856,224
SEWA Asian Indian Family Wellness (SEWA-AIFW), 6645 James Avenue North, Brooklyn Center, MN 55430
The requested $2,856,224 would help SEWA-AIFW combine services into one convenient location, providing services that aid against domestic violence, offer health services including but not limited to a Covid testing and shot distribution center, blood pressure level, glucose and diabetes testing, and a community kitchen and culturally relevant food shelf to support the Southern Asian community.
Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Subcommittee
Project: Northside Food Access and Distribution Project
$1,000,000
Change Starts With Community, 1201 West Broadway, Suite 2, Minneapolis, MN 55411
The requested $1 million would fund the development of two food distribution centers in North Minneapolis to serve several smaller, hyper-local pop-up food shelves. This pilot program addresses the chronic food insecurity in the primarily Black, Indigenous, and People of Color communities of North Minneapolis. The program will ensure that residents have easily accessible healthy food resources from trusted local community organizations. This expansion of distribution is critical to meeting the food insecurity needs of the community.
Certification Letter
Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Subcommittee
Project: Simpson Community Shelter and Apartments
$2,500,000
Simpson Housing Services Inc., 160 Glenwood Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55405
The requested $2,500,000 would go towards re-developing the site with a 4-story building comprised of an innovative shelter. The funding would be used to re-develop one Simpson emergency shelter buildings, which is a deteriorating church building and in great need of repairs to continue offering safe shelter operations. The shelter will support person-centered services for 70 individuals, 42 units of permanent supportive housing for persons who have experienced homelessness. Resources include intensive, holistic services to all residents, including an on-site health clinic to assist resident with mental, physical, and chemical health concerns. The goal of this project is to provide safe and invaluable resource for those experiencing homelessness with two components: permanent supportive housing and an emergency shelter.
Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Subcommittee
Project: New Facility for Southern Anoka Community Assistance (SACA)
$1,000,000
Southern Anoka Community Assistance, 627 38th Avenue Northeast, Columbia Heights, MN 55421
The requested $1 million would help fund a new facility, which includes a food shelf, a warehouse for storing food, a thrift store, offices for staff and client consultations, and a technology center for workforce development and employment training services. It will enable this decades-old community institution to serve 50% more families and expand hunger relief, basic needs, and family navigation services.
Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Subcommittee
Project: Southside Village Boys and Girls Club Expansion
$2,500,000
The Boys and Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities (BGCTC), 690 Jackson Street, Saint Paul, MN 55130
The requested $2.5 million would fund the development of an 8,000 – 12,000 sq. ft. addition to the Southside Village Boys and Girls Club facility located at 701 East 39th Street, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55407. This project aims to reduce achievement and opportunity gaps by expanding youth opportunities for career exploration, workforce training, and STEAM skills building. The expanded program space will allow BGCTC to serve a projected 500 additional youth annually while maintaining their high-quality, small-group delivery model.
Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Subcommittee
Project: Perspectives Seed The Change Capital Project
$5,000,000
Perspectives Inc., 3381 Gorham Ave, St. Louis Park, MN 55426
The funding would be used for their Seed the Change Capital Campaign, which was created to rehab and expand their existing Family Center. The population they serve is focused on woman and their children emerging from poverty, homelessness, and trauma. The requested $5,000,000 would go towards significant and necessary building upgrades. The repairs include new windows, improved security system, handicapped accessibility, new cooling and heating systems, updated classrooms, and therapy rooms. The goal of this project is to reduce any safety or health risk, improve the quality of our structures, and continue to provide adequate support and resources to our community of mothers and children.
Certification Letter
Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Subcommittee
Project: Native American Community Clinic Expansion Project
$2,000,000
The requested $2 million would expand their current clinic and housing unit that will allow the Native American Community Clinic (NACC) to double their impact from serving 5,000 unique patients to nearly 10,000 yearly with augmented clinic and outreach health services and providing housing solutions and support. This project would benefit one of the largest Native American populations in the country, providing housing and important health services for the Native American community.
Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Subcommittee
Project: People’s Center Many Stars Clinic Renovation Project
$1,000,000
The funding would help remodel and enhance the clinic space to create an improved environment to deliver culturally informed integrated care. This will allow the People’s Center to elevate their care model and lower barriers to access even more community members in need of services. The requested $1,000,000 for the Many Stars Campaign would help this trusted primary care provider in one of the most diverse communities in the United States to continue to provide quality primary care for the community.