Building a Brighter Future Together
July 8, 2024
The Homeward Bound Development Department is dedicated to building relationships and sharing enthusiasm for our cause. With this purpose in mind, our responsibilities include fundraising through donations from foundations, corporations, individuals, and civic organizations via grant writing, annual appeals, in-kind requests, and events. Additionally, we manage volunteers, corporate communications (website, Pathway Newsletter, Annual Report, brochures), and public relations/media.
In 2022 and 2023, Homeward Bound partnered with Boyer Building Corporation to design, plan, and construct three new homes in the City of Brooklyn Park. Boyer, known for their premier home building and remodeling services, previously built our Winnetka and Medicine Lake Homes. Our newest residences, Sugarloaf, 92nd, and 82nd, are curated to serve individuals with severe disabilities as part of a project to build smaller homes licensed and funded under Minnesota’s Home & Community Based Services.
On January 3rd, 2024, we successfully moved all 12 individuals from our 32-bed Brooklyn Park facility into their new community-based homes. The day-long process, involving movers and management staff, culminated in a celebration with pizza by nightfall. This transition allows us to sell the original facility and marks a significant milestone in our commitment to providing personalized, community-based care.
This project was a mammoth undertaking that lasted years and was truly a team effort.
The Board of Directors contributed strategic and financial planning expertise. Former Board member and Board Chair Steve Lanak, an architect and housing advisor to the Board’s Executive Committee, played a crucial role by approving the purchase of the buildable lots, supervising the design and drawings of the homes, and working tirelessly with Boyer Construction to ensure successful selections and construction. The Development team collaborated with HBI staff and several community partners to help defray the costs of the new homes:
- Furniture Manor, a provider of exceptional customer service, hospitality, and quality furniture at discount pricing, has been a community partner since 1999 and helped make the interior of each new house feel like a home.
- Homeward Bound was honored to receive a conditional matching grant of $50,000 from the Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation for the construction of our new homes in Brooklyn. We’ve been fortunate to receive an RMS grant almost every year since 2016.
- Plehal Blacktopping, renowned for building the best asphalt driveways in Minnesota, has supported us since our first partnership in 2009.
While every department at HBI played a role in bringing this dream to reality, we want to highlight our community partners for their continued support of our cause. Read the full article detailing the HBI staff’s perspective on closing our 32-bed Brooklyn Park home to build three new state-of-the-art homes on our blog: HBI Blog – CEO Corner December.
Check out the construction photos here: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjAk9Jw
~Terrina White, Development Coordinator
