Michael’s Background

Michael built a steady life through hard work. Starting in the early 1980s, he climbed water, radio, and cellular towers hundreds of feet in the air. He installed equipment that helps keep people connected every day. It was demanding and dangerous work, the type that requires skill and discipline.

Homelessness was never something Michael imagined could happen to him.

But during the upheaval of the COVID-19 pandemic, a series of personal and housing setbacks changed everything. Suddenly, Michael found himself alone and without a place to call home. Even then, he refused to give up. He continued working, holding a full-time job as a cook while living in a tent. He biked miles to work and back and relied on campground facilities to shower.

A New Home and Place to Rebuild

Michael’s apartment is just up the stairs from another Catholic Charities program: the Saint Paul Opportunity Center. There people can get a hot meal and connect to services like laundry, haircuts, resources for veterans, and more. For Michael, those supports created stability during a difficult season of life.

“The opportunity of three meals a day, staff on hand to help you get through difficulties, and having your own room — it all matters,” Michael said.

Every day, staff provide guidance, encouragement, and practical support. Case managers and social workers help people find housing and work toward long-term goals. Just as importantly, they build relationships rooted in trust and dignity.

Recognizing Catholic Charities Employees

Catholic Charities Twin Cities helps tens of thousands of people each year, thanks to more than 500 dedicated employees. This year, more than 215 employee recognition award nominations were submitted by staff across the agency. Each nomination contained a story of dedication, compassion, and excellence. We’re honored to announce the recipients of the 2026 Employee Recognition Awards:

More Than a Place to Stay

Kelis is fearless. Her childhood taught her to keep moving forward, no matter the obstacles she faces.

Kelis is now a young adult, but she’s already navigated a lot of instability, including living without a permanent place to call home. In 2023, her living situation with a relative fell through and she made the diffcult decision to find emergency shelter.

“I wasn’t scared to go back to homelessness, or even worse,” Kelis said. “Life has shown me that things kind of always work out as long as you keep trying.”

Kelis was intentional about where she went given her experiences growing up. She called the Minnesota youth homelessness hotline. She found Catholic Charities Twin Cities Hope Street Youth Shelter. The main reason she chose Hope Street is because it offered more than a place to stay.

Support and Resources to Move Forward

With safe shelter and consistent support, Kelis worked long hours and was able to save toward her future.

“Being here and not having to worry as much about expenses helped me save,” she said.

Just as important, Hope Street offered Kelis something else: a community.

“Being here, I can actually talk to staff every day and see people when I wake up,” Kelis said. “It’s my family when I can’t go back to my family.”

Through on site services like life skills training, therapy, and group activities, Kelis has found balance, connection, and space to reflect. The structure allows her to focus on her goals.

Expanding Shelter Capacity to Respond to Need

We know that unsheltered populations are increasing. According to the most recent Minnesota Homeless Study conducted by Wilder Research, “in both the Twin Cities metro and greater Minnesota, there is a concerning number of people spending most of their time unsheltered.”

This summer, Catholic Charities Twin Cities has been in conversations with government leaders and fellow service providers regarding the planned closure of several homeless encampments in St. Paul.

Catholic Charities’ overnight shelters are consistently at or over capacity each night. To accommodate anticipated additional demand, we’ve partnered with Ramsey County to provide 49 additional shelter beds at our Higher Ground Saint Paul shelter. This decision will expand the total shelter capacity there to 292 beds, timed to coincide with the first St. Paul encampment closure on August 5.

Media Coverage

A New Place to Call Home

Kevin was born and raised in North Minneapolis before he went on to serve in the U.S. Army as a paratrooper. Kevin joined because he wanted to protect his family. But, when he returned home, he faced PTSD and mental health challenges. Unfortunately, Kevin lost the apartment he was living in. He began experiencing homelessness.

Through a housing assistance program for veterans, Kevin found a place to call home at Catholic Charities Endeavors Residence.

Caring for Neighbors During Uncertain Times

We sat down with a handful of Catholic Charites staff who work in different areas of the agency to learn about their programs, the work they do, and the critical services they offer the community — particularly during times of uncertainty. Here is what they shared:

This year’s preschool students at the Northside Child Development Center just graduated! View clips from the ceremony and help us congratulate them here.
 

The Impact of Catholic Charities Northside Child Development Center

Catholic Charities Northside Child Development Center cares for up to 129 children at a time in North Minneapolis, with many more on their waitlist. Latasha, Brandon, and Dajah describe just how important the program has been — not only for their children, but for them as parents.

What Northside Offers

Catholic Charities Northside Child Development Center is a place that many North Minneapolis families rely on for early childhood programming, childcare, and education for children from 6 weeks to 12 years of age. Beyond those services, Northside is a community hub in its neighborhood, offering many family-focused events, parent education, and parent support groups.

Northside is committed to providing children in the greater Twin Cities metro region with the strong, healthy starts they need to succeed. Through a curriculum tailored to each developmental stage, children receive high-quality care and education that prepares them for school and beyond.

Mark’s Story

Mark was born and raised in St. Paul. When he lost his partner of 23 years to cancer, he couldn’t afford his home anymore. Mark lived in his car with his dog Piper for more than a year before finding help at Catholic Charities.

Support for Homeless Elders

Throughout his life, Mark worked as a machinist and at other manual labor jobs. At 69 years old, and after so many years of hard work, he says, “I never thought I’d be homeless sleeping in my car . . . it could happen to anybody nowadays.”

Mark bought a cheap car from one of his friends after losing his house. He and Piper lived in his car together, often sleeping in the parking lot of a local grocery store. “I applied at every organization I could think of for help,” Mark explained. “[Catholic Charities Twin Cities] were the only ones that actually called me back and helped me.”

Mark was connected to Catholic Charities Homeless Elders program, one which provides intensive case management and advocacy on behalf of vulnerable elders experiencing homelessness.

Jessica’s Story

When you meet Jessica, her strength and love for her children shine through. She is a single mother who left a bad relationship for the safety of her children — even though it meant starting over with nothing.

Finding Support at Catholic Charities

For nearly a year, Jessica and her children experienced homelessness. They moved from shelter to shelter, often unsure how long they could stay or what they would do next. “One of the hardest times was when I left one shelter because my time was up,” she recalled. “I was outside for 10 days.”

Jessica turned to Catholic Charities for help. She found safety and stability at the Family Service Center — a shelter for 21 families in Ramsey County operated by Catholic Charities. There, she was welcomed with compassion. “Things started turning around when we got to Catholic Charities,” Jessica said.

Searching for Stability

Mary and her daughter Ginger have always been there for each other. Mary raised Ginger in California where she worked for decades as a teacher. Ginger, like her mother, chose a career that helps others directly. She worked with people with disabilities and as a caregiver. However, Ginger noted that, “the jobs I’ve had never paid enough to get ahead.”

Pursuing a more affordable place to live, Ginger and Mary relocated to Ohio where some of their relatives were living at the time. Like many people, they were trying to balance financial struggles and seek a more secure future. But they faced unexpected challenges.

Ginger and Mary lost their housing in early 2022. The reasons were complicated, but involved limited financial resources, health needs, and the simple truth that unexpected emergencies can overwhelm even the most careful planners. As Ginger said, “Even a CEO can lose everything in a heartbeat.”

After losing their home in Ohio, Ginger and Mary spent two years moving from place to place in a used truck. It became their lifeline as they searched for stability. When they had nowhere else to go, they sometimes slept in the truck, trying to find rest in cramped and uncomfortable conditions.

Over the course of two years, Ginger and Mary spent a lot of time in several Minnesota cities before landing in St. Paul. One evening in March of 2024, Ginger and Mary heard a scraping noise coming from beneath their truck while driving. When they pulled over, Mary said that, “the whole bottom of the truck fell out from beneath us.”