Celebrations, new challenges, & goodbyes: updates from Beacon Interfaith, July 2023
It’s been another busy month at Beacon! And we want to share with you what we’ve been up to as we fight and advocate for deeply affordable family housing.
Keep reading to find out more. And thank you for your support in our effort to ensure that all individuals have a home.
Defending Prairie Pointe & affordable family housing in Shakopee
On June 8, 60+ Beacon supporters packed Shakopee City Hall to advocate against an effort to rezone the area intended for Prairie Pointe, which would provide affordable supportive housing to 42 low-income families.
Because the Beacon community rallied, the Shakopee planning commission tabled the rezoning decision until August 3.
While we applaud the commissioners for not hastily approving the staff recommendation to rezone, the fight isn’t over! To secure Prairie Pointe, we must show up strong at the planning commission meeting on August 3 and the City Council meeting on August 15.
You can learn more about the situation in Shakopee by viewing our latest blog.
And you can sign up to attend the Shakopee planning commission meeting by clicking here and the City Council meeting by clicking here.
Beacon community shows up big to wish CEO Lee Blons well on her retirement
On June 20, 150+ people stopped by Plymouth Congregational Church to congratulate Beacon’s CEO Lee Blons on her upcoming retirement after 20+ years leading the organization. Thank you, Beacon community, for celebrating Lee’s impact with us! It was a special day!
Lee leaves Beacon with a new strategic plan, a strong staff, an insightful board, and sound financial health. But her transition takes place at a time when complex safety and security concerns and soaring construction costs challenge Beacon in new ways.
Regardless of the challenges, we remain committed to ensuring all people have a home. And thanks to Lee and your support as a community member, we’re well on our way to getting there!
Let the adventures begin! New playground brings families together at Cranberry Ridge
Ready for some purely delightful news? We recently completed construction on the new handicap-accessible playground at Cranberry Ridge thanks to the generosity of our community and the many donors who made this possible!
The new playground features slides, monkey bars, and swings and is sure to produce thousands of laughs, giggles, adventures, and quality evenings of family bonding.
It’s easy to overlook the importance of a space like this. But when you’re a kid, even a tiny playground becomes a world unto itself—a castle to explore, a spaceship for piloting to new worlds, and a dream home to feel safe in with your siblings, friends, and families.
The playground at Cranberry Ridge allows kids and parents to forget about life for a while and connect with the simple joys that make life worth living. Once again, thank you for your help in making this happen.
To get the full dose of good news, check out our blog post, “Cranberry Ridge celebrates a new playground.”
How supportive housing transforms lives
Want to know first-hand how your support of Beacon transforms lives?
Our recent blog post, “How supportive housing impacts parents and children at Cedar View,” uncovers how supportive housing staff members approach their work with care, compassion, and intentionality.
The story also highlights the stories of families who found stability, safety, and hope through supportive housing. Click here to get the entire scoop!
Beacon community calls on Met Council to “Unlock the Metro”
On June 14, advocates from the Beacon community marched to the Met Council meeting in downtown St. Paul to implore council members to allocate more project-based vouchers to build deeply affordable homes in the suburbs.
The Met Council is the largest distributor of vouchers in the Twin Cities metro, covering most suburban communities. But in 2020, the council chose to allocate zero project-based vouchers, which caused affordable housing development in the suburbs to reach a near standstill—even as the need for housing accelerated.
While cities like Minneapolis and Saint Paul have allocated project-based vouchers to create new affordable housing, most cities rely on the Met Council to distribute these crucial vouchers.
Uncover additional ways you can help advance this movement by signing up for our “Rent Is Due” event on July 10 from 8:30 – 9:00 a.m.
Help advocate for deeply affordable family housing in Maplewood
Want to support the creation of desperately needed affordable housing in the suburbs? Join us in Maplewood for the Gladstone Crossing land use meeting on July 10 at 7 p.m.
We want to show our support for deeply affordable family housing as the Maplewood City Council votes to approve land use for the proposed Gladstone Crossing supportive housing development.
Your presence will help us demonstrate local support and reassure local officials that their community wants deeply affordable housing.
If you’re wondering how you can help provide supportive housing and end homelessness in Minnesota, this event offers one of the most effective ways to get involved.
Sign up for the event by clicking here! Together, we make a difference!
