The St. Joseph’s Home for Children campus has played a critical role in our community, serving as a safe haven for thousands of children in need for 135 years. Since the Emergency Shelter and Central Intake programs moved off the campus in 2020, our executive team and Board of Directors have been working through next steps for the campus.

We recently received a strong offer to purchase the campus that allows for the remaining campus programs to continue with no immediate impact. The offer is from Hennepin Schools, a charter school in South Minneapolis that largely serves immigrant and low-income children and families with a college preparatory focus. Hennepin Schools and Catholic Charities share aligned missions to serve the community, immigrants and the poor. This is an exciting opportunity to honor the legacy of the campus by continuing to serve children on the site.

We realize this raises an important question: what about Hope Street? Our agreement with Hennepin Schools would ensure Hope Street can stay on campus through May 2022 with no immediate impacts to programs. We are currently applying for the next round of funding from Hennepin County to support Hope Street Shelter; we will know the outcome of that application this spring and will continue to work through next steps for Hope Street programs.

St. Joseph’s Home for Children has played a special role in so many lives. Our incredible supporters are a part of that history. Your donations, volunteerism and advocacy have not only made it possible for St. Joe’s to serve as a place of refuge in times of crisis but also helped advance significant systemic change and better models of care for kids and families in the child protection system. For that we are incredibly grateful.