I started to work at Cabrini Partnership in 1999. I had retired from the Postal Service and was drafted by my friend Alice Des Lauriers, who was the Cabrini Partnership Director of fund development. She informed me that I “wasn’t working and Cabrini needs help with the phones.” So I started as a volunteer. That Christmas the bookkeeper was injured and I was asked to fill in. I am still “filling in.”
Since I had no background in social services, Cabrini Partnership has been a learning experience. My idea of the homeless was the guy under the bridge. Meeting the people living at Cabrini Partnership was an incredible eye-opener. The reasons they were homeless were things that could happen to anyone. One resident told me about getting hooked on painkillers because of having an accident. Another had a business and lost it because of alcoholism. There were many stories like that. These were people who proved that the old saying “there for the grace of God go I” is so true.
I am often asked why I drive more than a half-hour one way to work at a part-time job. It is because of the people—staff and clients. The staff at Cabrini is caring, knowledgeable and dedicated. They do a wonderful job and are great to work with. They make it worth the drive!
Sam, Cabrini Partnership Client
Sam began work as a caretaker for a multi-unit building last month. “Cabrini Partnership is the best place in the Twin Cities for what it does. It’s a great place to start over, make a plan and pursue it.” His plan worked. “I’m really excited.”
This achievement didn’t come easily. Sam was a resident of both the transitional and supportive housing programs previously. But stability was hard to hold onto; a sense of isolation took over, and he struggled with his mental and chemical health. Sam sought another chance with Cabrini Partnership. “I was really thankful to get back in Cabrini Partnership and start over. It gave me just a flicker of hope.” Starting over for Sam meant figuring out what he could do which would let him work outside as much as possible without being up on roofs as he had been before. He enrolled in the custodial maintenance program at Minnesota Resource Center. Upon graduation, he successfully completed state licensing exams that gave him the credentials he needed to find a job in building maintenance. He participated in a job club at MRC which helped him write a resume and search for employment. MRC connected him to his new job.
Living in a community of 22 individuals has been a good environment for preparing Sam to work with a large number of tenants and the building’s managing board. “Most confident—best I’ve felt—in ten years. I’m really ready.”
Bruce Koehn, Chair, Board of Directors
“Why don’t they pick themselves up by their bootstraps?” I remember this often-used phrase from my youth, and then thinking it myself in 1983 when homeless families and individuals would use our church basement for shelter during the cold months.
As a part of a small group of parishioners, we opened Mother Cabrini Haus two years later, which is still part of a larger and better Cabrini Partnership. Over those two years and the subsequent 25 years since Cabrini opened, I’ve gone through a conversion of thinking as I learned more about the issues surrounding homelessness. But what impacts me more today is hearing our residents’ stories and sharing in their celebrations of increased independence. Some of those stories are contained in this annual report or can be found on our website.
I tell this story because many people who are not personally touched by homelessness have similar feelings to what I experienced in 1983. They see homelessness through the lens of beggars on the street and think only of the added burden on the community. What we now know through studies and research is that ignoring the problem makes the burden on society worse, not to mention the tragedy to the individuals and their families.
Today, I am more encouraged than ever that chronic homelessness can be beat. Heading Home Hennepin, which is Hennepin County’s initiative to eliminate homelessness in ten years, is part of a larger national effort to place individuals and families who are homeless in housing with supportive services. The supportive services are the “difference makers” and here at Cabrini Partnership we’ve become effective at the delivery of those supportive services. But we require the support of a caring community to fulfill our mission. We rely on discerning individuals, like you, who faithfully support us with your donations, volunteer hours and encouragement. Your contributions make you partners with our residents and staff in defeating chronic homelessness.
Julie Ortiz, Case Manager
When I came to work for Cabrini 12 years ago, it was because I wanted to be a part of seeing positive outcomes in people’s lives. I’d worked in shelters for a long time and seen the cycle of homelessness and detox repeated for many individuals. At Cabrini, I could see that residents were getting healthy, learning to stay sober and becoming stable. Residents had goals and there were expectations of making progress toward those goals.
When I started working as the overnight coordinator, Cabrini was a small organization. There were only three or four full-time staff, the budget was small and we only had the transitional house. But it’s grown so much since then.
Ten years ago Cabrini was the first organization in Minnesota to undertake a new program (CILP-Cabrini Independent Living Program funded by HUD) of providing supportive apartments to residents moving out of the transitional house. It was a really exciting time for the staff and the residents. Today, we have our new apartment buildings and new facility. We’re serving so many more individuals.
I’ve been able to participate with Cabrini’s growth, helping with CILP and now as a case manager in our permanent supportive housing program.
The essence of Cabrini is still the same and our residents’ needs are the same. People will come with no hope, who’ve been sober and stable for just a short time. Our approach is to be there for them. Good times or bad times. We don’t judge. We truly believe in them. We’re true to our mission – being compassionate, kind, giving, going above and beyond.
There are many former residents who stay in touch with us. They check in every now and then. They know, “Once a part of Cabrini, always a part of Cabrini.” I just got a letter from a woman who was a resident in 1999. She’s stayed sober and stable for years, gotten a college education and is a homeowner now. She’s proof Cabrini works.
My future is with Cabrini because it’s where I can make a genuine difference in the lives of people.
Steve, Cabrini Partnership Client
Cabrini Partnership has had a huge impact on the quality of my life during the past 11 years of my sobriety. As a recovering alcoholic with physical and mental disabilities, the Cabrini Independent Living Program has provided me with an affordable HUD apartment for nearly 10 years now. This supportive housing has allowed me to live in a secure home from which I can access medical and mental health supports, as well as the resources available from Cabrini through my case manager. This has a huge impact on the quality of life I experience as a recovering 55-year-old disabled gay man.
I feel a great deal of gratitude for, and a wonderful sense of community with, Cabrini Partnership. As I have grown in my journey of recovery, I have seen Cabrini grow right alongside me in its own evolution. This has meant constant discovery of “living” for me that I cherish, as well as a great deal of stretching on both our parts!
I am filled with gratitude for Cabrini’s existence and the hope that the next 25 years are as fruitful and prolific. Congratulations and thanks!
James Toscano, Past Board Member
In the early 1980s, Hennepin County asked churches to provide shelters to take in homeless individuals. St. Frances Cabrini was one such church. James Toscano and his wife Sharon volunteered by picking up and doing the laundry of those staying in the church’s shelter. Jim and Sharon were also original incorporators of Mother Cabrini Haus, as Cabrini Partnership was first called. He was president of the board in 1985 when Cabrini purchased and renovated an old fraternity house in the area near the University of Minnesota to begin providing transitional housing to 25 homeless single men and women.
“We’ll have these individuals up and out within six months,” Jim can recall saying. He was convinced that Cabrini had the right model for those who were suffering with mental illness and chemical dependency. Along with the professional staff, a large community of volunteers supported the residents. Every board member had a resident that he or she mentored. From that experience, Jim learned quickly the depth and breadth and intensity of what the residents were facing and how, when things went wrong, they could keep going wrong.
“Cabrini wasn’t just a place to sleep. There was counseling and treatment for chemically dependent folks and three meals a day and GED training and so much more,” said Jim.
Jim is convinced Cabrini Partnership is much more sophisticated today and has a better handle on the problems homeless individuals face.
In his words, “I’m thrilled Cabrini is still alive and well and thriving.”
Matt Martin, Board Member
I first became involved with Cabrini Partnership through fellow board member Bev Caruso. I must confess, at the time my knowledge about the work Cabrini Partnership did was limited. Sure, I had heard Bev and others talk about the great work Cabrini Partnership does, but I had never been to the house, met any of the clients or even read any statistics on their success in combating long-term homelessness.
Expanding the scope of my knowledge about the work of Cabrini Partnership and homelessness in the Twin Cities has been one of the great personal benefits of my involvement with the board. But the most impressive experiences stem from the clients. Hearing the personal stories of these amazing individuals—filled with great triumphs and (more often) small but persistent achievements—and the pivotal role that Cabrini played in their life, well, it’s both humbling and inspiring. Cabrini Partnership has taken many people from the depths of despair and given them the tools to rebuild themselves—to regain control of their lives. To be able to play any part in that, however small, is incredibly rewarding.
My hope for Cabrini Partnership is that it can continue to give our clients these tools far into the future and that the quality of care we have become known for will not erode with time, circumstances or cynicism. My dream for Cabrini Partnership is that it will be able to expand the number of people it touches and that anyone with the need and a willing mind will have access to the caliber of service that Cabrini Partnership proudly provides.
Those who hear the story of Cabrini Partnership often come to share my hope and dream. So the burden falls on us to educate those around us by telling Cabrini Partnership’s story. I invite you to tell a friend about Cabrini Partnership today.
Aaron had never volunteered before. When his case manager urged him to do so as one way to begin reconnecting with the community, he was a bit reluctant. Now he’s a frequent volunteer for Open Arms. He appreciates the satisfaction from giving back. It’s just one of the discoveries he has made while living in the Cabrini Partnership transitional housing facility.
“I felt welcomed the moment I stepped through Cabrini Partnership’s door. A ‘buddy’ helped me learn the routines of household jobs I’m expected to do as part of this community. My case manager listened carefully to my hopes and concerns. Cabrini Partnership’s reputation for its nurturing environment has been evident every step of the way for me.”
It hasn’t been an easy path. Aaron just completed six months of chemotherapy. “I couldn’t have done it on my own.”
Now, Aaron is excited about his future. “There’s no limit to what I can do. I’ve been given the time I need to grow at my own pace. I can find the right balance—rest, good nutrition, exercise, prayer, meditation—to regain my health.”
“In the short term, I have a part-time job to ease back into the work world. I want to become responsible for myself again. My dream has always been to attend law school. And who knows after that?”
“If I had to sum it up, the first words that come to mind are dignity and respect – that’s the difference Cabrini has made for me. And I’m grateful.”
Doug's Story
Doug's New Digs:
Just a few years ago, Doug was a homeless junkie who used “anything I could put in a needle.” Today he is a college graduate working on a teaching certificate while volunteering at a Twin Cities charter school for kids with behavioral problems. He also is the proud recipient of a professionally decorated one-bedroom apartment courtesy of Cabrini Partnership and six incredible designing women from Dakota Technical College. If you’ve ever wondered if it’s worth turning one life around, his story says it all.
Doug moved to permanent supportive housing last fall after spending 21 months in the transitional community at Cabrini Partnership. Until the Dakota interior design students arrived last month, he had been making do with a few pieces of furniture. “It was well worth the wait,” he said, surveying the just-completed makeover on a recent Saturday. “It’s amazing.”
His is the sixth unit the Dakota students have furnished and decorated. Working with a $1,400 budget, they measured the space, consulted with Doug and purchased new and gently used furnishings. This time the shopping list included a bed and bedding, a couch, a comfortable chair, a high top kitchen set, book shelves, lamps, an area rug, kitchen supplies and artwork.
“Before this I had one chair. It’s like I was forcing myself to isolate.
Now I can have people over,” he said. That’s important because “being part of something” at the transitional house was central to his recovery. “Everyone else was getting up and going to work—the nuts and bolts of life. When that happened to me, it was like ‘wow.’”
Doug pondered why Cabrini Partnership and his apartment have helped him stay clean after a series of other programs failed. “I now have something in my life that I’m not willing to give up. People really give a damn. Some days I do it for me. Other days I do it for all the people who have helped me or for the students,” he explained.
Doug imagined life in his newly furnished home. “I’m going to do a
lot of reading right here,” he said, motioning to the couch. “I’m going to get a lot of work done at the desk, and I’m going to sleep great in the new bed,” he said. He also said he looked forward to returning home. “Coming home to this after a long day at school will give me something to look forward to. No matter how hard my day is going, I know it is going to end better coming home to this apartment.”
And his favorite piece? “This,” he said, spinning a small world globe bookend atop the shelves. “I love the little accents the designers have going. I wouldn’t have thought of it, but the little things make all the difference.”
Indeed.
Elizabeth and Leroy’s Story
The enthusiasm is clear as Leroy and Elizabeth talk about their plans to go back to school in January.
Leroy will be attending the machinist program at Minneapolis Community & Technical College. Its 99 percent placement rate attracted him, along with the fact he has prior experience working as a welder.
Before she lost her job more than a decade ago, Elizabeth loved her work as an archivist in a library and would like to get the education she needs to pursue a career. Her first step will be attending the University of Minnesota to complete her degree.
Elizabeth and Leroy have been together for ten years, enduring some very rough times. Both struggle with significant mental health issues and chemical addictions. They also have chronic health problems. This summer they moved in one of the new apartments in Van Cleve Development. “It’s great to have a nice, clean house—one that I can proudly show my mom,” Elizabeth said.
Living in Van Cleve has helped them both feel centered and focused. With their case managers having offices in the building where they live, “We know the support is close. It lets us feel really connected.”
Yet in the same breath as they talk about their plans, they express their real fears about the loss of General Assistance Medical Care. Funds for this program, which provide medical care for single adults who are homeless and extremely poor, have been unalloted effective in March. For Leroy, the loss of medical care is life-threatening since he relies on medications for his poor heart and managing his chemical health. Elizabeth knows that without treatment, her anxiety and hypertension will be uncontrolled. They can’t imagine trying to study for their classes and manage daily challenges without the help of their medications. They don’t want their fear about this to become paralyzing, but it is a huge cloud hanging over their efforts to maintain their mental and chemical health and gain stability.
Cabrini Partnership has been a blessing for them. They dream of completing their education, getting jobs, reconnecting with their families and regaining a degree of self-reliance. And they dream about their future together. Elizabeth concludes, “Leroy likes to cook. I want to start building some traditions, like having Thanksgiving dinner for our friends and family.” With a safe, comfortable apartment and the support services Cabrini Partnership provides, that dream can come true for them.
Gemini’s Story
A Look at Life, by Gemini
Someone asked me, “How did we become homeless?” Well, this is our story.
My husband and I have five children, 12 grandchildren and an addiction. We moved here in 2003 with the plan to get away from drugs. But the problem is that drugs are everywhere. So in 2004 we both went into treatment.
But the best thing that could ever have happened was when our family refused us a place to stay. We ended up in different shelters. This made us take a hard, long look at our lives.
Being in the shelter made us determined to get back together and get our lives together.
The shelter housing director gave me the number for Cabrini Partnership. I never thought they would find us a place so fast, but in about four weeks they had found us a bottom floor apartment. I have a back problem so the fewer stairs to climb, the better it would be on me.
As I think about our life and the help that Cabrini Partnership has given my family I realize that not only have they given us a home, helped us furnish it, but they have really given us our lives back.
Thank you Cabrini Partnership for putting my family back together. We love you.
K's Story
K:
I am now a resident of Cabrini Partnership’s permanent supportive housing program. Thanks to Cabrini Partnership…I have an epilogue to my crazy life story of being raised by a loving family, going to a university in Minnesota, my drinking and drug use all the way to living on the streets of Los Angeles. Which is nothing to brag about but is a lot to be grateful about that I made it back to Minnesota alive.
When I arrived at Cabrini Partnership, I had to learn how to live while recovering from the trauma that years of crisis, chaos and homelessness on the streets brought. Cabrini Partnership gave me a cushion of stability and security so that I could forge forward on my healing journey.
I am now celebrating my sixth year of sobriety. I feel closer to being a real member of a community and more confident in my ability to cope with life sober. These last few years, as I have been laid off and with a special needs son, Cabrini Partnership has given me judgment-free support while treating me with dignity and respect.
K’s Mother:
Our lives were that of a typical young couple. But we went from a wonderful life with three healthy kids, working and soccer games to lives filled with terror. Somewhere in our daughter’s life the “white powder” arrived. We endured months of not knowing where she was or if she was alive.
After many years of struggling, K finally entered a 12-step treatment program, then transferred to a halfway house and then a transitional housing program called Cabrini Partnership. I remember visiting and thinking that she just might make it this time. Cabrini Partnership offered a constant safe environment and staff that helped her with obstacle after obstacle. Cabrini Partnership’s greatest value is the ongoing support, encouragement and counseling that is needed.
It’s a few years later, and our daughter did make it. We have
enjoyed having our daughter safe, responsible and loving. We thank Cabrini Partnership for that.
Cabrini Partnership
919 12th Avenue SE Minneapolis, MN 55414-2497
Tel: (612) 331-7390 Email Us
