Impact and Programs
Accomplishments
PRISM increased the number of families served from 700-850 households per month. This was an additional 28885 pounds of food over the previous year. We assisted 182 households to remain stably housed. Our Shop for Change Thrift Shop revenue increased by 21% from previous year. In the last year, visits to the Birthday Room doubled in our Children's Programs.
Current Goals
One of our programmatic goals this year is to increase participant voice throughout the organization. One way we plan to do this is by establishing Participant Advisory Councils (PAC) allowing participants to make decisions that directly impact the services we provide to the community. Another goal is to expand evaluation efforts to have a more consistent approach across programs. We will look at our data collection processes, as well as the specific data we collect.
Community or Constituency Served
PRISM serves low-income children, adults, and seniors each year, living in the northwest suburbs of Hennepin County. One-hundred percent of our participants experience episodic or persistent financial hardship and are unable to meet their food, clothing, and housing needs. Nearly 70% of those served are Black and Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC); more than half are female; children under 18 comprise 35% of those served; and of the 105 households provided with financial assistance, approximately 14% (14) of these households are headed by a senior (age 55+). Our participants have inadequate incomes, but unlike the stereotypes many are employed or have a fixed income. The households we work with are often paying 60-80% of their income on rent, and have been successful in maintaining housing on their own the majority of the time. The majority of participants we serve are renters and face high barriers ranging from low credit scores, low income, and many live in vulnerable housing situations (e.g. month to month leases, doubled up).
Geographic Area Served
PRISM participants seeking housing assistance may live in any Hennepin County city. PRISM’s general service area includes the following Hennepin County cities: Independence, Medina, Maple Plain, Plymouth, Minnestrista, Mound, Spring Park, Shorewood, Tonka Bay, Minnetonka Beach, Orono, Excelsior, Greenwood, Deephaven, Woodland, Wayzata, Long Lake, Loretto, Golden Valley, St. Louis Park, Robbinsdale, Crystal, Hopkins, New Hope, Medicine Lake, and Minnetonka. This geographic boundary represents an agreed-upon service area between suburban Prevention providers CEAP, VEAP, and PRISM. PRISM is the designated food shelf for residents of Golden Valley, New Hope, Robbinsdale, Crystal, and Plymouth (east of highway 494). We primarily serve residents of these five cities; however, about 13% of the households we serve reside in surrounding cities and we do not turn anyone away seeking food.
