Stepping Stone is a nonprofit organization focused on providing a safe and inclusive community response to ending homelessness once and for all to those in St. Paul, Minnesota. Its mission is to "support individuals 18 and over who are experiencing homelessness by accelerating the growth of available shelter that brings education and solutions to our homeless response."
Stepping Stone has four primary guiding principles that govern how it functions. These include:
Empowering individuals to change their lives.
Treating all with dignity and respect.
Collaborating with partners in providing services.
Ensuring strong stewardship in managing resources.
Stepping Stone also has two main shelter programs: Emergency Shelter and Emergency Housing. Emergency Shelter provides housing to individuals seeking temporary shelter. Housing is provided for 7 days or less with a maximum stay of 28 days in a 365-day period. All residents must meet with a Case Manager, comply with rules & regulations, and complete all assigned chores.
The more long-term option is Emergency Housing. Here, people who are willing to work on the issues that contributed to their homelessness come directly from Emergency Shelter and partake in this program. Housing is provided for a planned 90-day stay with an option to extend the time in 30-day increments. Residents must do all that is required in the Emergency Shelter as well as develop their Individual Goal Plan (IGP), engage in making progress on their IGP, and meet with an Anoka County Financial Assistance Worker.
Both of these programs cover the basic needs of residents. These needs include:
Access to the facility 24/7, while an approved resident
Assigned a room with a bed, linens, pillow, storage locker, and a closet
Three meals per day, plus a snack in the evening
Showers, including towels, soap, shampoo, conditioner, lotion, deodorant, toothbrush, and toothpaste
Laundry facility, including laundry detergent
Clothing
To reach Stepping Stone's website, click here.
Another interesting and helpful story about all the resources available for homelessness that they might not know about. Great work ProjectWHY/Arielle!