Star Tribune
Bridge for Youth begins $700K renovation at Minneapolis shelter spaces
A Minneapolis nonprofit serving homeless youth will begin a $700,000 makeover of two of its shelters this summer, capping a multiyear effort that invited shelter residents into the design process.
The Bridge for Youth provides support services and temporary housing for teens and young parents. Its two emergency shelters, Resilience House and Gloria’s Place, share a building at 1111 W. 22nd St. in Minneapolis. The first phase of demolition is underway, and renovations are set to begin in the coming weeks.
Resilience House provides 24-hour shelter, case management, food and health care for youths ages 10-17. Gloria’s Place is the only emergency shelter in Minnesota for pregnant teens and teen parents ages 15-17; it has space for up to six families.
According to the agency, 50% of young people experiencing homelessness in Hennepin County are pregnant or have children.
The building was purchased and first renovated nearly 16 years ago, Executive Director Lisa Mears said. Since then, it has been “feeling fatigued,” she said. This summer’s renovations will include new flooring, paint and furniture.
Another major reason for the renovation was to incorporate design feedback from current and former shelter residents. The designs are aimed to create spaces “where youth can heal and feel safe” from personal traumatic experiences, Mears said.
In 2021, three Dunwoody College students were brought onto the project to craft designs that would inspire the renovations. Carissa Friendshuh, Marco Salazar and Austin Rastall were fifth-year architecture students who spent about a year working on designs. They interviewed shelter residents, did research and toured the facility.
The students worked to make the facility feel more open and comfortable. Their designs were intentional about lighting, colors and having nooks tucked away for privacy within shared spaces.
“You want to be in a space that’s inviting, that feels safe, that feels secure, but also you’re able to get some freedom in it,” Rastall said. That concept was carried throughout the design decisions, he added.
Salazar said working on the project was a “full circle” moment because his sister was a shelter resident several years ago.
The Legislature last year provided $500,000 for the renovations, and the Bridge added $200,000.
The nonprofit this year campaigned unsuccessfully at the Capitol for $3.5 million to add 15 transitional housing units to a current facility, Marlene’s Place, and 24 non-time limited supportive housing units at a new site. Mears said Bridge officials are discussing their next steps.
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This story comes to you from Sahan Journal, a nonprofit newsroom dedicated to covering Minnesota’s immigrants and communities of color. Sign up for a free newsletter to receive Sahan’s stories in your inbox.
Star Tribune
Trump is set to respond to Harris on immigration during his visit to a small Wisconsin town
Republicans including U.S. Sen. Derrick Van Orden, who is from Prairie du Chien, have criticized authorities in both Minneapolis and Madison for letting Coronel Zarate go, saying they essentially allowed him to attack the woman in Prairie du Chien. They have accused both jurisdictions of being sanctuaries for people in the country illegally.
Michelle Marie Dietrich, a public defender representing Coronel Zarate in the Prairie du Chien case, declined to comment. Charlotte Wynes, another public defender representing him in Prairie du Chien along with Dietrich, didn’t respond to a voicemail seeking comment. Michelle Brandemuehl, a public defender representing him in Madison, also didn’t respond to a voicemail message seeking comment.
Trump has repeatedly portrayed migrants as criminals and blamed Harris for failing to stem an unprecedented surge in illegal immigration, though border crossings have fallen since President Joe Biden instituted an executive order limiting asylum claims. Democrats, in turn, have blamed Trump for persuading allies in Congress to kill bipartisan legislation that would have funded more border agents and given the Homeland Security secretary authority to prohibit entry for most people over a daily limit.
One option presented to some vendors has been to register for the state’s Cottage Food Producer permit, based on a 2015 law that allows people to “make and sell certain nonpotentially hazardous food and canned goods in Minnesota without a license.”
Chavez said that’s a step in the wrong direction. Such a permit would allow vendors to sell homemade baked goods and pickled fruits and vegetables, but still wouldn’t allow them to operate on city sidewalks or in traffic.
“People might apply, but it isn’t actually going to address the root issue that people are struggling with,” he said.
The issue is one of equity according to Chowdhury, who said some vendors don’t have the necessary knowledge or resources because they’re still new to the country. Licensing or permit fees become barriers for new vendors trying to become compliant.
“When it comes to folks that are immigrants, new to our community, that’s an incredible barrier. So if we’re going to do economic empowerment, that’s the barrier that we want to help resolve, and so I’m 100 percent supportive of waiving these fees,” she said.
A street vendor near Lake Street and Portland Avenue in south Minneapolis. (Dymanh Chhoun, Sahan Journal)
Claudia Lainez, workers’ center director at COPAL, a Latino advocacy organization, said they have been monitoring the growth of street vendors across the metro area specifically because many are undocumented. She said vendors tend to be women because men, even undocumented, typically struggle less to find work.
A Minneapolis family is grieving after their 34-year-old husband and father died Thursday when he was struck by an SUV while riding an electric scooter.
Benjamin Nyman Walker was weaving through traffic while headed south on Nicollet Avenue near Interstate 494 when he was struck by a southbound Jeep Wrangler at 5:44 p.m., Richfield police said. Police, emergency workers and HCMC paramedics tried to save Walker, but he died at the scene.
An organizer collecting funds to support the family said Walker was on his way home from work when he was killed. Walker’s wife, Crystal, said he was a loving man who was quick to tell dad jokes and quicker to help others.
“He would give you the shirt off of his back in times of need. He was someone who was there to listen and give his truth,” said Crystal Walker, adding that the two had been planning to move to Wisconsin. “He was the light in any room when he was happy, and he tried his hardest to always make sure he kept everyone’s spirits up.”
“Being without him is going to be a lot harder than I thought it would be,” said Walker’s daughter, Karissa. “He was so sweet and he always cared about other people’s feelings.”
A similar scooter accident led authorities to arrest a woman in Texas for fatally injuring 52-year-old Andre Zedrick Steward in a July hit-and-run collision in Minneapolis. The woman told a witness that she was driving drunk when she hit a man, adding that she and her sister had fled the scene and flown to Las Vegas.
Staff writer Paul Walsh contributed to this report.
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