Stepping Stone Emergency Housing

10/30/2026

Cold weather is here, and Border Bank helped make sure some of our residents are better prepared for it.

Through their Winter Warmth Drive, Border Bank collected winter clothing for local nonprofits and shelters. Stepping Stone received 15 jackets for men and women, along with wool socks, heavy-duty gloves, and beanie hats.

Those items will go directly to residents who need them as temperatures continue to drop.

Thank you to everyone at Border Bank who contributed to the drive and helped put warm clothing into the hands of people working toward stability.

10/29/2026

As the year comes to a close, many of us think about what we’re grateful for.

For someone staying at Stepping Stone, a warm, safe place to sleep tonight can be possible because a person in this community chose to give.

That’s what your year-end gift can do.

In this week’s video, Steve shares how your generosity helps create the stability someone needs to take the next step — toward housing, independence, and a future that looks different than today.

10/28/2026

Education Wednesday 🎓

What is scattered-site housing?

When people hear “housing program,” they may picture one building where everyone lives.

That isn’t always how it works.

Through scattered-site housing, people live independently in apartments throughout the community while receiving support from a Stepping Stone case manager.

The apartment is their home.

Our role is to help with the things that can make housing more sustainable — navigating resources, working through problems with landlords, building independent living skills, and addressing challenges before they become crises.

Housing is an important step.

Learning how to maintain it is part of creating lasting stability.

10/27/2026

Community Tuesday

There isn’t just one way to help create stability.

Over the past few weeks, members of our community have raked leaves, reorganized clothing, collected hundreds of hygiene items, provided haircuts, made financial gifts, and simply spent time with the people we serve.

Different people. Different gifts. Different ways of helping.

No single act ends homelessness.

But each one strengthens the network of support around someone working toward stability.

That’s what community looks like.

10/26/2026

Stability Monday

Sometimes stability means being able to show up for someone else.

One of our Long-Term Housing clients is a dad whose young son was getting ready to start kindergarten. He needed school supplies and clothing, but those expenses weren’t something our housing program could cover.

So his case manager helped him navigate community resources and find what his son needed.

It may sound like a small part of housing support.

But stability isn’t only about paying rent or keeping an apartment. It can also mean having enough support and resources to be the parent, employee, neighbor, or person you want to be.

Sometimes helping someone move forward means helping them take care of the people who depend on them.

10/24/2026

Weekend Wisdom📖

Progress is not always easy to see while it is happening.

Sometimes it looks like a person asking for help sooner.

Keeping an appointment.

Trying again after a setback.

Learning how to handle something differently than before.

Not every step forward is dramatic, and not every change shows up in a statistic.

But quiet progress still matters.

10/23/2026

**Facility Friday**

What should a shelter provide beyond a place to sleep?

A new MPR News story looks at Avivo’s new shelter in St. Cloud, where residents have private rooms, locking doors, quieter spaces, access to case management, and the ability to keep pets.

It is an interesting model, and one that gives us something to think about.

At our Anoka shelter, residents live in a more traditional shared setting, with four beds to a bedroom and shared living and bathroom spaces. Pets are not allowed there except for service animals.

Our Emergency Housing Services Building in Stillwater is different. Residents have private rooms, pets can be accommodated, and we also have a small number of rooms where couples can stay together.

Different shelter models create different opportunities and challenges.

At Stepping Stone, we believe the goal is not simply to provide a bed. It is to create enough safety, dignity, and stability for someone to begin working toward what comes next.

As communities think about the future of emergency shelter, what features do you think matter most?

https://ow.ly/1WQJ50ZZS8W

People sometimes avoid going to homeless shelters because they don't feel safe there, or they don't want to be separated from their pets, partners or belongings. Avivo is changing that model.

10/22/2026

The holidays may still feel a little ways off, but now is the time to help us get ready.

Stepping Stone is looking for businesses, churches, civic groups, families, and others who would like to host a Giving Tree or Holiday Drive for residents at our Anoka and Stillwater locations.

Gift cards, warm clothing, personal care items, and other practical gifts will help make sure every resident has something waiting for them at our holiday celebrations.

Donations are requested by December 13.

Want to help make the holidays a little brighter? Learn more about hosting a drive or Giving Tree:

https://steppingstoneeh.org/ways-to-give-and-be-involved/holidays/

10/21/2026

Education Wednesday 🏫

What does it mean to be "not homeless enough"?

One of our staff recently spoke with a woman who was temporarily staying with a friend and looking for help. After discussing her situation and explaining our housing program, we had to give her a difficult answer:

She wasn't considered homeless enough to qualify.

That phrase sounds almost absurd. But it points to a difficult reality.

There are more people needing housing assistance than there are resources available. That means programs often have to prioritize people experiencing the greatest levels of housing instability and vulnerability.

As Tracy, our Long-Term Housing Program Director, put it: "There are so many people without homes that we are competitively racing to the bottom."

It raises an important question: How do we build a system that helps people before their housing situation has to become even worse?

10/20/2026

Community Tuesday

Last Monday, a team of nine volunteers from Magnifi Financial spent time at Stepping Stone helping us get ready for the colder months.

They rotated summer clothing out, brought fall and winter clothing forward for residents, reorganized and labeled storage totes, and cleared out items we no longer needed.

More than half of the group has been volunteering with Stepping Stone for at least two years.

They also presented Stepping Stone with a $4,000 donation.

One volunteer shared that homelessness can feel like a huge challenge, but they are beginning to see how much every little bit helps.

That is what community looks like — showing up, doing the work in front of you, and helping make stability a little more possible.

Thank you, Magnifi Financial.