When you donate to South Metro Human Services, you support respectful treatment and provide dignified transitional housing for family members and friends who struggle with mental illness.

Community Foundations: A Vital IRTS Facility

In the past 25 years, our Community Foundations program has provided transitional housing and support services for more than 550 individuals diagnosed with mental illness. As an Intensive Residential Treatment Services (IRTS) facility, Community Foundations provides time-limited mental health services for adults who do not need acute inpatient care, but require 24-hour supervision.

IRTS facilities serve very low income individuals who are at risk of significant functional deterioration, hospitalization and episodes of homelessness if they do not receive intensive treatment. These facilities are designed to develop and enhance individuals’ psychiatric stability, personal and emotional adjustment, self-sufficiency, and skills to enable them to transition to an independent and more permanent housing situation.

People who receive our services and support are your brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, children, neighbors and coworkers.

The Need for A New Facility

The turn-of-the-century apartment building in St. Paul that has housed the Community Foundations program since its inception is old and we believe that the people we serve deserve an updated facility that is more conducive to recovery.

Recently, we identified a vacant property in Maplewood (at the intersection of Highway 36 and Route 61) that we intend to transform into a new, purpose-built home for Community Foundations. The $2.8 million renovation of the former “Ethan Allen” retail store will provide 16 units of transitional housing and 2,500 square feet of counseling, meeting, and office space.

We are excited to create a new IRTS facility and believe it will be one of the best in Minnesota. It will allow our staff to offer critical services in an environment specifically designed for therapeutic treatment and recovery. Each client will have an individual living unit with a studio-style sleeping area and private bathroom. Indoor and outdoor communal spaces will provide comfort and the opportunity for community building in a relaxed setting.

We Need Your Financial Support to Make This Project Happen!

With your help – whatever you are able to give, whether it be a small donation or a large one – we can make the new home for Community Foundations a reality. Your support will help provide respectful treatment and dignified housing so that individuals who struggle with mental illness are able to transition to a more independent and permanent housing situation.

If you would like more information about the project, please call Steve Devereux, Community Foundations Capital Campaign Manager, at 651-256-1250.

On behalf of our staff and clients, thank you for supporting South Metro Human Services and the Community Foundations Capital Campaign.