Help for Families Experiencing Homelessness
Our Programs
Solid Ground provides trauma-informed care and serves each family in a holistic manner, addressing both the needs of the individual and of the family as a whole. Committed to the ‘Housing First’ philosophy, Solid Ground moves people out of homelessness and into housing first, then provides person-centered, holistic support and services essential for long-term stability.
HomeAgain provides scattered-site transitional housing in Washington County. Families receive an average of twelve months of rental assistance and support services. In 2021, the program served 81 adults and children (23 families).
HomeFront works with veterans experiencing homelessness, providing affordable housing and supportive services to 10 households, including eight families and two single adults, in a permanent supportive housing setting in Maplewood, MN. In 2021, HomeFront housed 38 adults and children (13 families).
HomeSafe provides scattered-site housing in Washington and suburban Ramsey Counties. Families receive monthly rental assistance, based on unit size, as well as supportive services for an average of twelve months. In 2021, the program served 66 adults and children (22 families).
Homework Starts with Home is a collaboration with several partners who work with school districts to move families experiencing homelessness quickly out of housing instability into stable housing within the same school district communities. In 2021, Homework Starts with Home served 130 adults and children (35 families). Solid Ground is expanding HSWH into four new school districts in Washington County in 2022.
Home2Stay, launched in spring 2021, provides homelessness prevention and rehousing assistance to families in suburban Ramsey and Washington Counties. The program provides up to 3 months of back rent to keep families in their current housing, or up to 12 months of rental assistance for families who cannot maintain their current housing or are doubled up and need assistance with finding and maintaining housing of their own. In 2021, Home2Stay served 54 adults and children (16 families).
Services include:
- Prevention Assistance: To keep families in their current home, eligible households may receive a one-time prevention assistance, up to 3 months of rent arrears.
- Rapid Rehousing Support: In the case that a household cannot sustain their current housing and/or are doubled up and at risk of homelessness, Home2Stay funds may be used to relocate a family in affordable housing and pay up to 12 months of rental assistance (including security deposit, and first/last month’s rent).
- Additional Services: To provide holistic, supportive services to families to help them increase their income, address their health, and achieve academic success.
To be eligible for the program:
- Family must reside in suburban Ramsey or Washington County
- Household must have at least one minor child (including pregnant women)
- School-aged children must be enrolled ISD 621, 622, 623, 624, 831, 832, 833, or 834 school districts.
- Household income is less than 50% Area Median Income (AMI)
- Family has a legal, written lease OR is doubled up and at risk of homelessness
- Family must be referred by Coordinated Entry, County or local referral system (if one exists)
East Metro Place provides 20 units of transitional housing, located near Century College in White Bear Lake. All units receive project-based Section 8 rental assistance to make the housing affordable to families with very low incomes. A wide array of supportive services are available to adults and children, including assessment, goal planning, advocacy, basic needs assistance, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, employment services, living skills training (parenting, budgeting, etc.), after-school tutoring and educational support. East Metro Place housed 117 adults and children (23 families) in 2021.
East Metro Place II provides 14 units of permanent supportive housing, added in late 2005 to the White Bear Lake campus. Seven units are designated for homeless families with disabilities (typically mental illness and/or chemical dependency), and seven units serve families with histories of long-term homelessness. As with the transitional housing program at East Metro Place, all 14 families in permanent housing receive Section 8 rental assistance and supportive services. In 2021, East Metro Place II housed 67 adults and children (15 families).
Washington County Rapid Resolution is a new partnership between Solid Ground, Washington County, St. Andrews Community Resource Center, and The Connect Center (fka St. Croix Family Resource Center) to help divert families in need of shelter to other housing alternatives, thereby shortening their time experiencing homelessness and improving their housing outcomes. The partnership expects to serve 35 families annually.
Program Outcomes
Adults and Children Served by Solid Ground
Families Served by Solid Ground
Of the total served, 126 families were housed in our site-based and scattered-site housing programs for families experiencing homelessness, and 19 households were still in housing search at the end of the year. The rent moratorium greatly impacted the number of families exiting Solid Ground Housing resulting in 24% fewer exits from the previous year.
The families served by Solid Ground are very low-wealth households:
80% of families had incomes at or below the federal poverty line
94% had incomes at or below 200% of poverty
81% of households were headed by single mothers
6% were headed by single fathers
13% were two-parent families
Demographics
Diversity
- Asian American/Pacific Islanders/Asian
- Black/African American/African
- Native American/American Indian/Indigenous
- White/Caucasian/European
- Multi-racial/Multi-ethnic (2+ Races/Ethnicities)
- Another racial/ethnic identity/Unknown
- Asian American/Pacific Islanders/Asian
- Black/African American/African
- Native American/American Indian/Indigenous
- White/Caucasian/European
- Multi-racial/Multi-ethnic (2+ Races/Ethnicities)
- Another racial/ethnic identity/Unknown