HOPE 4 Youth grew out of a community effort to combat youth homelessness. In November 2012, a series of news articles raised awareness of young people in Anoka County who were in need of basic resources. The stories were published during the coldest days of winter and sparked an immediate reaction from the public.
As a result, partnerships were built, donations solicited and in March 2013 HOPE 4 Youth opened our doors; becoming the first Drop-In Center for homeless and at-risk youth in the north metro suburbs.
When the doors of the Drop-In Center close, many of the youth find themselves couch-hopping or back on the streets. In response to this, we decided to expand our focus on long-term solutions to ending youth homelessness and as a result opened HOPE Place, the first transitional housing for young people ages 18-24 in the north metro suburbs, in late 2016.
Our Milestones
Meeting of the minds! Brian Swanson, an Anoka County businessman, and Karrie Schaaf, the Homeless Youth & Families Liaison for the Anoka-Hennepin School District, met for the first time to discuss how to help the young people in need of basic resources. It was their vision, passion and drive that laid the groundwork for HOPE 4 Youth.
HOPE 4 Youth’s Doors Open! After a few short months of planning, HOPE 4 Youth opened our Drop-In Center doors for the first time on Monday, March 4.
HOPE 4 Youth received our 501(c)3 letter from the federal government that officially recognizes us as a charitable nonprofit organization.
The first staff, an Executive Director, was hired.
HOPE 4 Youth joins Heading Home Anoka.
Formed a partnership with the Anoka Work Force Center to bring their expertise to the Drop-In Center on a monthly basis.
HOPE 4 Youth joined the StreetWorks Collaborative and the YMCA to begin outreach work in our community.
HOPE 4 Youth purchased a building in Coon Rapids to be remodeled into a transitional housing facility for homeless youth.
A new Executive Director, Lisa Jacobson, was hired.
HOPE 4 Youth launched a new logo and branding to reflect the population we serve.
Construction began on HOPE Place and a Capital Campaign kicked-off to raise the funds to pay for construction.
HOPE Clinic, our on-site health care clinic partnering with Livio and the Goodrich Pharmacy, opened.
The doors of HOPE Place, our transitional housing program, opened, allowing the first 12 homeless young people to call it home.
