Simpson Housing building will be a modern shelter with affordable housing and enriched services
June 12, 2024—MINNEAPOLIS, MN: Today, Simpson Housing Services (SHS) and Project for Pride in Living (PPL) broke ground on a new shelter in Minneapolis’ Whittier neighborhood at 2740 1st Ave. S., site of the former Simpson United Methodist Church building.
The Simpson Community Shelter and Apartments will be a low-barrier facility intentionally designed to meet the short-term housing needs of people experiencing homelessness. The facility will include 72 shelter beds and 42 units of permanent supportive housing. On-site space for service partners will increase access to resources that support guests’ physical, mental, and chemical health needs, which will improve and expedite permanent housing placements and reduce the number of chronically homeless adults.
Executive Director Steve Horsfield said, “We are excited to celebrate the legacy of the former Simpson United Methodist Church congregation, who built a foundation of community engagement and social justice at this corner over 140 years ago. We are grateful to continue building on that foundation in a modern, welcoming facility that will provide dignified shelter, housing, and enriched services, all centered on empowering shelter guests to re-establish housing stability.”
Project for Pride and Living is the developer partner, Watson-Forsberg is the general contractor, and LHB is the architect. Shelter operations transitioned to an interim location in January 2023 and will continue uninterrupted while SHS constructs the new facility. The Simpson United Methodist Church building was demolished in October 2023.
“We hope this project, with its blend of shelter and 42-units of stable housing, hastens the journey from homelessness to home and stability,” said Paul Williams, President and CEO of PPL. “Housing isn’t just a roof. It’s a foundation. It’s the grounds from which health, safety, and success grow and prosper. Without stable housing, people cannot build new job skills or further their education and improve their mental and physical health.”
SHS is in the final phase of its Build-Up Campaign, which supports a reimagined shelter and housing facility, program/administration space, and funding for sustainability. This is Simpson Housing Services’ largest fundraising campaign in its 41 years of service. For more information on the Simpson Community Shelter and Apartments and its funding partners, or to support the capital campaign, visit simpsonhousing.org/build-up.
About Simpson Community Shelter and Apartments
Simpson Housing Services is building a reimagined shelter with enriched services, which will increase and expedite permanent housing placements and reduce the number of chronically homeless adults. Simpson will build the new facility on the site of its former shelter at 2740 1st Avenue in the Whittier neighborhood of Minneapolis, with Project for Pride and Living as the developer partner; the general contractors are Watson-Forsberg and Tri-Construction, Inc.; and LHB as the architect.
The low-barrier space will include 72 shelter beds and 42 units of permanent supportive housing. Extended hours and accommodations for service partners will increase access to resources that support guests’ physical, mental, and chemical health needs. This modern, dignified shelter is designed to meet the short-term housing needs of people experiencing homelessness and to prevent and break the cycle of chronic homelessness.
The building will include accessible and adaptable spaces. The first floor will house a commercial kitchen and dining room with capacity to serve meals for approximately 100 people. It will also house a 24-hour front desk, a healthcare office to be operated by Hennepin County Healthcare for the Homeless, and space for volunteer groups to cook and serve daily meals for guests.
The second floor will include separate sleeping areas for men and women, as well as a flexible sleeping area that can be used for nonbinary people, women, men, or family units. Other features will include laundry facilities, showers, community areas, and space for service staff and community partners to connect with guests.
The third and fourth floors will include 42 efficiency units of permanent supportive housing, each approximately 420 square feet, geared toward individuals who have experienced long-term homelessness. Thirty of the 42 units are set aside for individuals facing chronic homelessness.
Simpson Community Shelter and Apartments Partners
Owner and developer: Simpson Housing Services, Project for Pride in Living
Architect: LHB, Inc.
General Contractors: Watson-Forsberg and Tri-Construction, Inc.
Public Funders:
State of Minnesota
Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines
Hennepin County Housing and Redevelopment Authority
Hennepin County, Minnesota
U.S. Congressional Appropriations
City of Minneapolis
Minneapolis City Council
Minnesota Housing
Metropolitan Council
Sunrise Banks
BMO Harris
Bremer Bank
JP Morgan Chase