Impact and Programs
Accomplishments
Basic Needs:
In 2016, Six Family Centers served 686 families, providing crisis and case management. Housing crisis was the number one reason cited for seeking help in the Family Centers. Food support, including 2 free food markets and 24 Mass Produce Distributions, provided 989,806 pounds of nutritious food. The Food Markets served 12,119 people and 13,191 people and 2556 households from Mass Produce Distribution. Of those served, 41% were children and 80% were below the Federal Poverty guideline. 85% were from Ramsey County and 3% from Dakota County.
Lifelong Learning & Youth:
In 2016, 641 Adult Learners attended adult basic education classes. Of the students who had 40 hours of instruction, 49% made gains in at least one standardized test score. Of the students who completed 50 hours of instruction, 56% increased their knowledge of and preparation for the American workplace. 41% of students who completed 80 hours class time increased their computer literacy skills and their ability to navigate Microsoft Word, Excel, email and internet.
69 students who participated in college access were accepted into post-secondary school in 2016. 531 participants received one on one counseling and/or support services to help them with the college process. More than 1,000 people participated in college access outreach events and 88 attended the signature event, Dream Big.
320 Youth – ages 5-22- participated in Neighborhood House programming in 2016. Of those, 125 Youth were served in the gang reduction and intervention program (GRIP) and 195 were in out-of-school time programming, including MOEE, TOP, Kids Connect, 3D Core IT, Health & Wellness and the drop-in Celita Center. The meal program in collaboration with St. Paul Parks and Rec, served an average of 136 meals and 44 snacks per week. We also served 872 breakfasts during the summer months, totaling over 7,600 meals in 2016.
Community
10,910 meeting and events were hosted at the Wellstone Center. The Wellstone Center’s rooms were booked for 104,403 total hours in 2016. Over 700 community members participated in the National Night Out event in August 2016.
2,500 people reached through the HIV/STD prevention and outreach programs.
1,354 dedicated volunteers devoted 27,744 hours to Neighborhood House. This translated into approximately $652,612 worth of service, which greatly increased our capacity, reach and quality of our programs.
Current Goals
We continue to use our strategic framework as a guide for our organizational goals:
As we strive to connect all the necessary pieces to help people move out of poverty and truly
transform their lives, Neighborhood House is examining what it means to be a community center
based on Saint Paul’s West Side that also offers direct services in multiple neighborhoods. We
honor our history and are committed to meeting the needs of West Side families. However, given
the significant percentage of people living in poverty in various areas throughout Saint Paul, we
see a need to de-emphasize geography, redefine our role, and bring our responsive, effective
programming wherever needed.
Our new Strategic Framework, established in January 2016, addresses these needs through the
following primary goals:
1. Serve our participants more holistically to increase their ability to sustainably transform their
lives.
2. Become a holistic program services hub in Highland to better meet the needs of participants in
the community.
3. Influence systemic change on issues where Neighborhood provides services, or that
affect quality of life in neighborhoods we serve.
Community or Constituency Served
For 120 years, Neighborhood House
has been a beacon of hope for
thousands of immigrant, refugee,
and low-income families in St. Paul
who are in search of a better life.
Neighborhood House is continually
evolving to meet the diverse needs
of a diverse population, and we strive
to not only provide a safe haven for
those in crisis but to be a place where
people come when they are seeking
the tools to truly transform their lives.
Participants are low-income families, refugees and immigrants, and long-time residents in challenging situations. The majority of our participants live in poverty, are food and housing insecure, and face a multitude of correlated barriers like employment, transportation, education, safety, and language. Of the more than 14,000 individuals we serve annually, 71% live at or below the poverty level, 91% are persons of color, and 45% speak a language other than English at home.
Geographic Area Served
8 locations in St. Paul. 3 Locations in Highland Park, 1 on the West Side, 4 on the East Side.
