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Policy updates, new CEO, resident stories, & more! Beacon news roundup, September 2023

August 2023 was a BUSY month for us at Beacon Interfaith! But then again, what month isn’t busy?! I’m sure you can relate!

Anyway! Here are some highlights from the affordable housing movement—moments and events we want to share with you!

Enjoy! And thank you for helping us strive for a Minnesota where all people have a home.

A leadership transition for Beacon

After 20 years, Lee Blons has retired from her role as CEO/President of Beacon. We are immeasurably grateful for her visionary leadership and steadfast commitment to ensuring all people have a home. We wish her all the best in her well-earned retirement!

We are excited to welcome Chris LaTondresse as our new CEO/President, effective October 9! LaTondresse is “inspired by Beacon’s unique position at the intersection of mission-driven housing development, faith-rooted organizing, and the political will required to ensure every Minnesotan has a place to call home.” 

Learn more about Chris and our CEO transition by clicking here. 

Resident success story: Jessica looks ahead to Emerson Village

In less than a month, we will break ground on Emerson Village—a new affordable housing development in North Minneapolis!

This building will stand on the ground of what was formerly Beacon’s Families Moving Forward Program Center.

That’s where Jessica—a current Beacon resident—drove to 12 years ago in search of a place to park her car, which she was living out of at the time. 

Instead, she found permanent, supportive housing at Beacon’s Audubon Crossing.

Discover the rest of Jessica’s story and reflections on Emerson Village by checking out our recent blog post.

Resident success story: How Jom’s Beacon home helps him support his community

Whether producing music, speaking on a podcast, or sharing resources with his community, Jom strives to influence those around him through positivity. 

Now that he enjoys deeply affordable, stable housing with onsite services at Beacon’s Lydia apartments, Jom can make an even greater impact on his community and help others break the cycle of poverty.

You can delve into the rest of Jom’s incredible story by clicking here.

Help us fully fund Bring it Home, Minnesota

As many of you know, the Beacon community played a crucial role in passing the state’s FIRST-EVER general rental assistance program this spring.

This program—Bring it Home, Minnesota—creates nearly 5,500 rent vouchers for low-income Minnesota households. 

However, we still have more to do before every qualifying household receives a voucher. More than 200,000 households – 550,000 people – are still being left behind due to a lack of funding for the rent vouchers they qualify for.

They need our action TODAY.

If you’d like to help us advocate for the total funding of this program, please:

👉Follow Bring it Home, Minnesota on Facebook and/or Instagram. 

👉Donate to support our transformational policy work. 

👉Register for “Rent is Due” to take action on October 2.

Will you help us win this fight? Click here to make a gift.

Update on Prairie Pointe: Full steam ahead!

It was a memorable and exciting night for Prairie Pointe and affordable housing on September 7! With more than 40 Beacon supporters looking on, the Shakopee Planning Commission voted unanimously to withdraw the rezoning proposal that had threatened to derail the essential homes provided by Prairie Pointe.

To sum it all up, Prairie Pointe is moving forward! 🎉🎆🥳🏡❤

THANK YOU to the many people who showed up and lived out your values all summer long. YOUR presence, YOUR voice, YOUR commitment were the keys to getting us here because when we organize, families who need homes like Prairie Pointe win, and our shared future becomes a little brighter.

Thank you for helping us Pointe the way home!