Along with taking classes and making connections, residents attending the NeighborWorks Community Leadership Institute have a chance to learn about the city they visit, and to see local community development in action.
This year’s CLI featured eight tours to help residents understand the Twin Cities and to see the innovations and affordable housing solutions in the area. With a housing crisis that does not appear to be dissipating, creating solutions – and creating homes – are ways NeighborWorks and the network come together to build America.
A sampling of the tours follows:
Elliot Park is a neighborhood where Aeon's housing work began in 1986. The construction of the
convention center forced the demolition of historic affordable housing units, and utilized the Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program – a new tool at the time – to finance quality affordable rental homes. A nonprofit was born. Aeon collaborates with many local service providers for wrap-around social services in the neighborhood, including Somali immigrant families. The tour included of hundreds of small vendors selling Somali clothing, food and services, explained Elizabeth Hollins, acting director of the Midwest Region for NeighborWorks. The tour group enjoyed Somali tea and samosas.
NeighborWorks® America is increasing its partnership with Native American organizations, and four teams at the CLI were either from Native network organizations or Native American groups partnering with network organizations. Minneapolis has one of the largest urban Native populations in the country, and 43 different tribes. Two of the tours focused on support for the urban Native population.
Dava Beaulieu, director of Program Operations at the American Indian Community Development Corporation, led one of the tours, starting at the Homeward Bound Temporary Living Facility, a 50-bed, 24-hour emergency shelter in Minneapolis. It is one of the region’s first shelters created to serve American Indian relatives.
Staff shared stories from their work with unhoused relatives, offering both honesty and hope in their dedication to finding lasting solutions, reports Mel Willie, NeighborWorks’ senior director of Native Partnerships and Strategy.
The visit also included Anishinabe Wakiagun, a 45-bed permanent supportive housing community for individuals experiencing homelessness and living with substance use disorders. Opened by AICDC in 1996, it serves primarily American Indian residents and is located in the heart of the Native American Cultural Corridor at Franklin and Cedar Avenues.
Another stop included the Minneapolis American Indian Center on Franklin Street, which was recently renovated. The site used to see 10,000 visitors a year. Now, that number has increased to 40,000, said Mary LaGarde, executive director. The center has been in operation for 50 years and the programs and services focus on health, family and culture. Activities include powwows, a Boys and Girls Club, community meetings and drumming lessons.
The outside includes a mural by George Morrison that he once described as a feather “turning in space.” The center is truly a hub. Rooms are named for family members – “The Grandparent Room,” for example, with QR codes that allow visitors to hear the words in different Tribal languages.
Aeon hosted another tour of three affordable housing properties on East Franklin Avenue, includ
ing The Rose, a 90-unit, mixed-income property (47 affordable units) built with features designed to make the property energy efficient and healthy for residents. The property includes rain water management.
