Looking Back on 2022
What a year it has been! There is so much to celebrate but also to reflect on…
State Farm socks donation drive
Starting with one of our biggest accomplishments - this year we were able to serve over 3,000 unique guests! That looks like about 46,000 visits. Each and every one of those guests were able to use our services. Some came simply for a cup of hot coffee or a meal and to get fresh clothes and hygiene kits, while others came to meet with their providers, use the on-site computers and phones, pick up their mail, and apply for IDs or birth certificates. We also had individuals who needed help filling out certain forms to either apply for housing or jobs. More importantly, because of our generous donors we were able to help with special requests such as rental assistance, car repairs, utility bills, bus tickets, plane tickets, prescriptions and much more… We also have to highlight all the in-kind donations that we received this year which included clothing, backpacks, hygiene supplies, food and more - those items totaled to over $225,000. Our donors responded every time we needed help; the Listening House team is grateful for your above and beyond giving!
We were able to be there for our guests and respond to their needs because of the support that we had financially and because of the many partners we had. Involve MN¹ and Mobile Loaves Twin Cities provided over 38,000 meals which equals about $195,000! The Drawer donated thousands of new socks and underwears and Safe Zone helped many of our guests gain access to free mobile phones. Many other partners such as Minnesota Community Care, People Inc., Radias Health, and MACV conducted weekly and monthly drop-ins to help our guests with housing, mental health screenings and assistance, flu shots, COVID-19 vaccines, and more. There are several other organizations that we partnered with this year - for a complete list of our partners, visit this page. The work that we did this year couldn’t have been done without them. We are grateful for their ongoing support and partnership!
Former Intern Chastity serving Involve MN’s meal trays
We also cannot forget our amazing group of volunteers! We had about 30-40 volunteers this year who committed to be at Listening House on a weekly or monthly basis. Altogether, they averaged 160 hours per month which totals 1,920 hours for the year. Our volunteers fill in for us in certain areas so that our staff can focus on other pressing tasks. Some of those areas include our donation closet - probably the most frequented area by our guests after the kitchen which our volunteers also help at by serving meals and snacks throughout the day. Some of our volunteers also come to make bouquets to decorate the many tables that our guests sit at and others come simply to spend some time talking with our guests. Our staff and our guests are extremely grateful for the commitment that our volunteers have shown and continue to show.
Throughout the year, Listening House was highlighted several times in the news due to 2 lawsuits. One of them involved the old firehouse on West Seventh where we were asked by the City to expand our services there for 18 months² - as the claims were difficult to prove, the plaintiffs dropped their case. The other targeted our current project to renovate the former Red’s Savoy Pizza building on East 7th³ ⁴ - the judge denied the plaintiffs’ request for a temporary restraining order that would have stopped us from moving forward with construction⁵. With the public support⁶ as well as support from many of our partners, we were able to overcome those events and move forward with our plan to continue to make a difference in this community by caring for a vulnerable population that is often overlooked and criminalized.
Design for the former Red’s Savoy Pizza on East 7th
Taking everything that we have learned this year, from our successes to challenging moments that we faced, we are forging ahead into the new year with a commitment to continue to serve our guests and community with radical hospitality and to grow as an organization so that we can expand our services and increase the number of guests we serve. Now that we have completed Phase one of our campaign, we are working hard to raise funds for the next phase so that we can complete both the renovation and newly built extension.
We want to end by thanking every single individual that has supported us throughout the years to help us reach where we are today. We are looking forward to the new year seeking more accomplishments as well as new partnerships, challenges and opportunities for growth. The Listening House team wishes you all a warm and happy holiday season and a happy new year!
¹Leika Pierre-Louis, “A Mission-driven Coffee Shop”, (blog), October 28, 2022, https://www.listeninghouse.org/news/a-mission-driven-coffee-shop.
²Listening House, “Consolidating Services, Improving Impact”, (blog), April 19, 2022, https://www.listeninghouse.org/news/consolidating-services-improving-impact.
³Conner Knuth, “The Future of Listening House”, (blog), August 3, 2022, https://www.listeninghouse.org/news/the-future-of-listening-house.
⁴Bill Lindeke, “Except for the bad sidewalks, former Red’s Savoy building is perfect place for St. Paul’s Listening House day shelter”, Opinion, September 30, 2022, https://www.listeninghouse.org/news/the-future-of-listening-house.
⁵Katie Galioto, “Work on St. Paul homeless day shelter continues, despite lawsuit from neighbors”, Star Tribune, October 12, 2022, https://www.startribune.com/work-on-st-paul-homeless-day-shelter-continues-despite-lawsuit-from-neighbors/600215153/.
⁶Petition created by Morgan Weinert, “Saint Paul Neighbors United for Listening House”, https://www.change.org/p/saint-paul-neighbors-united-for-listening-house.
