First phase of Mankato’s supportive housing project receives $7.2 million state grant

Eric Joens, 39,  poured concrete and plowed snow for a living. Then, his car broke down. He lost everything — including his job and his home. 

“Nobody wants to be homeless,” Joens said. “Nobody wants to go through this, you know, a day in and day out, or live on the streets all day.”

There aren’t many options for him. Joens has been living for a few months at Connections Shelter, which operates out of the second floor of First Presbyterian Church of Mankato.

“It’s kind of a depressing thing, but I understand that some things take time, and it’s just, I have to understand that,” he said. “Just keep trying with the resources that are available, and some day, one of these days, something’s going to happen for me.”

‘We’re always full’

Each day at 5 p.m. the Connections Shelter staff opens up the guest rooms. They brew fresh coffee before opening the shelter doors. The shelter has about 40 overnight beds. But, it also has an overflowing waiting list of more than a hundred people.

Connections isn’t supposed to be a permanent housing solution. Jenn Echevarria, the executive director, said the demand is overwhelming.  

“We’re constantly filling beds as we can,” Echevarria said. “We’re always full.”

But help is on its way. Mankato recently received a $7.2 million dollar state grant for a two-phased combined shelter and permanent supportive housing project. The project is a partnership among Connections Shelter, Partners for Housing and Minneapolis-based affordable housing developer Trellis Co. 

The first phase includes 40 apartment units which are for people moving on from the shelter. It will offer resources including mental health counseling and case management. The second phase will involve Connections Shelter. It will offer emergency congregate shelter beds and non-congregate privacy units. Operating 24/7 all year-round, it will stand right next to the supportive housing units. 

A groundbreaking for the first phase of the project is expected sometime this fall. 

Echevarria said this won’t solve homelessness. But it could prevent some of the domino effects that lead people into losing their homes. 

“One thing happens, the next thing happens, the next thing happens, the next thing you know, you’re living in a car or on the street,” she said. “I wish that we could just recognize that they’re human beings, and they all deserve to be treated with empathy and compassion and dignity and respect, because they are human beings.”

The new permanent supportive housing project can help alleviate some of the strain on local homeless shelters said Nancy Bokelmann, associate director of Mankato’s Housing and Economic Development. 

“We may not be able to end homelessness, but we’ll have a system in place where we can get people housed again,” Bokelmann said. “We’re just a small enough community where we think working together, we might be able to create that response system to limit the time people are becoming homeless.”

Finding gaps, filling them

The wraparound services are also key in the project. Blue Earth County Human Services supervisor Andrew Pietsch said the goal was to help build long-term housing stability. 

“We were finding that individuals coming out of homelessness and seeking housing, many were struggling to maintain that housing long-term because there wasn’t a lot of supportive services for those persons that needed it,” Pietsch said. “Now we have an opportunity to be able to serve them and get them housed for a long period of time, while providing them with resources and life skills so that they can stay housed for a long term.”

At the state level, Minnesota Housing Commissioner Jennifer Ho said her agency is focused on issuing more housing infrastructure bonds this legislative session. This will help finance permanent supportive housing. 

“When we can successfully get people into homes, you get a much better return on investment for both the individual and as well for the community,” Ho added. 

Statewide, there are more families needing homes than housing stock available. There’s about a 60,000 housing unit shortage in Minnesota. This disproportionately affects low-income and unhoused people. 

Ho said it’s not easy getting permanent supportive housing projects built. Sometimes there is community resistance, but mostly the problem is lack of funding. 

“The intervention has been proven time and time again to be wildly successful, but putting together the financing to make it viable has been a challenge,” she said. “Building housing for people experiencing homelessness is not a profitable endeavor.”

Back at Connections Shelter, Eric Joens submitted an application to move into long-term boarding. He says there’s one thing he wants to do once he gets a place to stay.

“Go spend a weekend with my kids,” Joens said. “Do something like that.”

Soon, Joens got the news he was awaiting — his application was approved, and he’s leaving the shelter.