Mission Statement
Wilder has been committed to meeting the needs of individuals and families in the St. Paul and East Metro community for more than 119 years. Our founding mission, radical at the time of its writing, was “To aid and assist the poor, sick, and needy people of the City of Saint Paul, without regard to, or discrimination for, any such persons by reason of their nationality, sex, color, or religious scruples or prejudice.” Wilder remains true to that original intent with an updated mission statement: Wilder is a collective force for social good that works to see all people thrive. We champion stability and wellness through direct services, advocacy, and research.
Impact and Programs
Accomplishments
In FY24, Wilder served nearly 7,000 individuals (aged 16 months through 90 years), and holistically supported the well-being of families across all areas of their lives - education, financial empowerment, mental and behavioral health, housing, leadership, healthy aging, and more. Community Mental Health and Wellness provided 90,369 services to 22,695 individuals. Achievement Plus schools supported 1,292 students across three schools. Healthy Aging and Caregiving services supported 790 unique individuals with services such as Meals on Wheels, home care services, and caregiver services. Our housing programs served 1,427 participants. 93 children from 87 families learned and grew at the Wilder Child Development Center. 86 parents and community leaders grew public policy knowledge and advocacy skills to drive change in their communities. Saint Paul Promise Neighborhood supported 2,574 individuals. Additionally, Wilder hosted 303 events and convenings with over 27,000 participants.
Current Goals
Wilder is unique in comparison to other organizations in our combination of research and evaluation, policy efforts, and direct services. This combination allows us to develop research- and data-driven programming, create strong community ties that deeply inform our research and evaluation services, and develop policy strategies grounded in both community insights and research. We are only aware of a few other organizations nationwide that work in all three focus areas. This combination has been instrumental in transitioning our entire organization to one that uses a Whole Family Approach. We are aware of organizations that have 2 Gen/Whole Family approaches within program areas – but Wilder is one of the first, if not the first, nonprofit in Minnesota whose entire organization is a Whole Family model. Ultimately, whatever door someone enters—mental health, housing, early childhood services, or others—Wilder will offer support to identify all available solutions and actively connect families to resources both inside and outside of Wilder. By lifting a family’s burden of navigating available supports, program eligibility, and program access, our work allows families to spend their energy emerging from poverty and working toward growth and prosperity. Our new FY24-29 strategic plan keeps the Whole Family Approach as our north star, but brings a finer point to our strategies: 1) advance whole-family service models and mindset; 2) drive change for families through Research and Evaluation that is informed by direct service expertise; and 3) become proactive, nimble, and resilient. This plan offers solid footing for our work ahead.
Community or Constituency Served
Nearly all (99%) of families served are below 200% of the federal poverty level, with 28% at or below 100% of the federal poverty level. When we look at who Wilder serves more closely, we see a reflection of the neighborhoods in Saint Paul where our programs operate. Over 80% of participants are people of color from the Black/African American and the Southeast Asian communities, including Hmong, Karen, Cambodian, Vietnamese. We also are seeing more folks from the Hispanic/Latinx communities, as well as the newly arriving Afghan community. We serve folks who are facing multiple challenges to their overall family stability – whether that’s navigating immigration, experiencing poverty, seeking stable housing, securing transportation, speaking a primary language other than English, or living with a mental or physical disability.
Geographic Area Served
Greater Saint Paul consisting of the counties of Ramsey, Washington, Dakota, and Anoka.
