Mission Statement
Our mission is to house, support, and empower people impacted by homelessness. Our goal is to end homelessness and break the generational cycle of poverty by empowering individuals to identify and leverage their strengths, access the necessary resources and support, and achieve increased stability, ultimately transforming their lives. Our Values: 1. We believe that everybody has the right to safe and affordable housing. 2. Racism is a key cause of homelessness; therefore, we work to dismantle racism on individual, organizational, and systemic levels. 3. We honor the inherent strengths and dignity of each person and promote the power of self-determination. 4. We are driven by compassion and accountability as we build authentic relationships to strengthen our community. Our Commitment to Advancing Racial Equity: We are committed to being an anti-racist, multi-cultural organization. In our work at Simpson Housing Services, this means a commitment to root out racism and saviorism within ourselves, our organization, and our community.
Impact and Programs
Accomplishments
At the heart of our work is how we partner with individuals and families as they navigate out of homelessness and build new futures for themselves. We embrace a transformational approach that recognizes each person’s strengths, leadership abilities, potential, and their ability to achieve long-term housing stability beyond their time in our programs. In FY25, Simpson partnered with 1,660 people across all of our direct service programs, including: 308 families with 591 children, 270 single adults, and 41 youth in supportive housing, along with 326 shelter guests, and 357 children and young people in developmental and educational programming. Recent outcomes demonstrate the effectiveness of our model: 97% of housing participants attained a self-identified goal; 74% of supportive housing participants moved into stable housing; and 20% of shelter guests moved into housing directly from the shelter. Simpson has also achieved several recent accomplishments that further demonstrate our impact, including: 1. Successfully increasing the number of supportive housing sites to support more families and individuals transitioning out of homelessness. 2. Expanding Children and Youth Services program options and partnering with more young people annually. 3. Recipient of the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits’ statewide Anti-Racism Mission Award for 2024, which recognizes a non-profit organization that actively engages audiences and communities in anti-racism activities. 4. Building a new shelter and affordable housing site called Simpson Community Shelter & Apartments. Features will include 72 shelter beds, 42 supportive homes, an on-site health clinic, a commercial kitchen and dining room, access to private green space, and more. It is scheduled to open in late 2025.
Current Goals
Key objectives are as follows: Family and Youth Housing: * 95% of households will achieve a self-defined goal. * 85% of families will maintain safe, stable housing for at least one year. * 80% of youth-headed households maintain housing for at least one year. Single Adult Housing: * 75% of participants will remain stably housed for at least one year. Extended-Stay Shelter: * 100% of individuals are provided with shelter and supportive services every day of the year. * 100% of individuals provided with shelter will be assisted to successfully move into housing. Adult Shelter Connect: * 100% of individuals who seek shelter will receive support and service referrals from staff. We are dedicated to evolving our program model to effectively support families and individuals to create more effective and sustainable outcomes. The staff intentionally commits to a transformative model rather than transactional methods common in many social service agencies.
Community or Constituency Served
Homelessness remains an urgent challenge across the country. According to the Wilder Foundation, up to 20,000 Minnesotans are homeless on any given night. The current data regarding the Twin Cities' population shows that 35% of the 3.2 million residents are BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color), while up to 90% of the individuals and families in our programs identify as BIPOC. This disparity highlights the disproportionate impact of homelessness on BIPOC communities. We partner primarily with BIPOC individuals and families, who face multiple challenges to achieving long-term housing stability. The need for shelter, supportive housing, and services is unfortunately high, and Simpson remains at the forefront of efforts to effectively address and ultimately end homelessness in the Twin Cities. Demographics: * Gender: female - 51%, male - 48%, and non-binary - 1% * Age: children under the age of 18 - 37%, adults - 56%, and seniors (ages 62 or older) - 7% * Race: Black - 53%, White - 22%, Multi-racial - 12%, American Indian - 9%, Asian - 2%, and Other/Unknown - 2% * Ethnicity: Hispanic or Latino - 11% * 100% below Federal Poverty - 86% (14% are 200% below federal poverty)
Geographic Area Served
Simpson partners with people at various housing sites and delivers programming in Hennepin, Ramsey, Anoka, and Carver counties.
