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Few words are more groundbreaking than
WELCOME HOME.
“From grain to green,” was the slogan Gail Dorman, Hennepin County Commissioner, used to describe the new Van Cleve Development housing project at the groundbreaking ceremony held on September 12, 2007. The “grain” refers to the Bunge Midway grain elevator landmark that has been preserved by the developers to the delight of the neighborhood. The “green” refers to the innovative design concept of the collaborative effort.
The development team involved in this economically integrated project consists of: Project for Pride in Living, Inc. (PPL), Cabrini Partnership and Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity (TCHFH). PPL will be focused on building the development and managing it once it is open. Cabrini Partnership is currently raising funds for the development, and it will have onsite case managers once the development is open. TCHFH will be building town homes on the development site.
The development is located in the Como neighborhood (often referred to as SE Como) adjacent to Van Cleve Park where the Bunge tower is located. It will include a total of 236 units – 20 units of supportive housing for individuals who have experienced long-term homelessness, with services provided on-site by Cabrini Partnership; 65 non-student affordable rental units, 12 town homes (7 built by PPL and 5 built by Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity, and 139 market-rate condos in the Bunge grain elevator.
As one who played baseball across the street [in Van Cleve Park] and who has a son who played there, said Mayor R.T. Rybak, he couldn’t be more supportive of the whole design concept. “Redevelopment starts with affordable housing,” said the mayor. It will add new life to the Como community. The City of Minneapolis is one of the development funders.
St. Joan’s has a strong connection to Cabrini Partnership and PPL, the two organizations that hosted this groundbreaking event, which celebrated the first phase of the development. Both are SJA Justice Fund grant recipients and St. Joan’s has volunteers with both organizations. Also, the Executive Director of Cabrini, Mary Morris and the founder of PPL, Joe Selvaggio, are SJA parishioners. T. Mychael Rambo performed at the event, opening with Elton John’s House and ending with If You Believe by Charlie Smalls. Excitement was high and there were various speakers representing the partners, the city of Minneapolis, the county of Hennepin and the neighborhood.
Cabrini Partnership’s mission is to provide housing and services to support homeless adults with mental illness and chemical dependency to strengthen their lives, families and community. Cabrini currently has a transitional home in southeast Minneapolis. Cabrini is dedicated to ending long-term homelessness. The 20 new units being built at Van Cleve will help further this cause. For more information, visit www.CabriniPartnership.org.
Patrick Bayle, a former resident at Cabrini who has “graduated” from its transitional home, credits his success to Cabrini’s “compassion and willingness to provide direction.” With their caring and concern, I was able to turn my life around, he said. He spoke at the event and lifted the first shovel of dirt for the project. He talked about the worries residents have about money and finding a place to live when leaving treatment. “You don’t know what a place like this means to us,” he said. “Cabrini gave me hope; the people gave me hope; and this facility gives me hope.”
PPL assists lower-income people and families throughout the Twin Cities metro area to work toward greater self-sufficiency through housing, employment training and support services. Guiding the organization's growth and current programs is the motto: "Give me a fish and I eat for a day; teach me to fish and I eat for a lifetime". This expresses its commitment to the values of a strong work ethic, personal accountability and responsibility, and the participation of the disenfranchised in their own growth toward self-sufficiency. For more information, visit www.ppl-inc.org.
“We’re very excited to work with PPL on this development. We are proud to be furthering the goals of the state of Minnesota and Hennepin County to end long-term homelessness in Minnesota,” said Mary Morris, executive director of Cabrini partnership.
St. Joan’s has made affordable housing one of its top issues and this development is an innovative approach to meeting our community’s housing needs. For more information and to view site plans, visit www.VanCleveDevelopment.com.
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