The 36-unit Silver Linings Apartments have been designed as homes for unhoused adults, ages 55 and older. (Photo/Nancy Hanson.)

Churches United executive director Devlyn Brooks (shown with board chair Jess Spieker and operations manager Ginny Stoe ) says the Silver Lining Apartments represent a new concept in providing permanent quarters for older adults who are unhoused. (Photo/Nancy Hanson)

A Place for Elders to Call ‘Home’ 

Nancy Edmonds Hanson

Churches United’s newest project was never just about building spaces for formerly homeless seniors to live. Its real goal, says executive director Devlyn Brooks, has been to lay the groundwork for something even more ambitious – building genuine community.
When the Silver Lining Apartments hosted its grand opening Thursday, June 26, the elements of that dream quickly came into focus. Certainly, there are the living quarters for 36 men and women, including 16 studio apartments grouped around central common areas, plus 20 one-bedroom units. But guests also got a first glimpse of a facility thoughtfully designed from top to bottom to more than merely housing for older adults. Their goal: To build a community that formerly unhoused tenants can truly call their permanent home.
Adults over the age of 55 are one of the fastest-growing segment of the homeless population both here and across the nation, says Brooks. He and Churches United’s operations manager, Ginny Stoe, have observed that trend at Micah’s Mission, the organization’s Moorhead shelter.
“The greatest catastrophic cause of their situation is the loss of community,” he asserts. “They are alone, without family to support their needs. They’re on fixed incomes, too, so they’re vulnerable when they face a crisis due – medical costs, housing increases, rising grocery costs, or mental and physical ailments. They have nowhere to turn.
“Traditional public housing programs are part, but only part, of the answer. Housing vouchers help them find public housing … if, that is, they can meet strict requirements like credit checks and clean criminal and rental histories. But then they’re on their own, with four bare walls and no support.”
Silver Linings, like Churches United’s neighboring Bright Sky Apartments, is based on a different model. While the new facility provides comfortably furnished and well-equipped living spaces, as well as “soft goods” like bedding and dishes, its tenants will also find plenty of help in building their new lives.
“At our shelter, you can feel the sense of community among our residents,” Stoe says. “That bond becomes so important to them that sometimes they don’t want to leave. That’s what we’re creating here – not isolated strangers, but a community where residents can live until they’re ready to go to their next destination.”
Encouraging that spirit is the inspiration behind features of the main floor. A community room equipped with coffee-making gear, a library with computer stations, and an art studio lie just inside the controlled entrance. All are available both to residents and visitors; Brooks envisions public events like classes and presentations bringing them together.
Down the hall are secure personal mailboxes and a community pantry, where food-bank provisions will be distributed to each resident. “Otherwise, many of our residents won’t be able to drive to pick up their own groceries,” Brooks notes. A nursing office staffed by a local hospital and administrative offices round out the spaces.
The efficiency units upstairs are grouped into two “pods.” In each, eight apartments surround a communal living space with a kitchen, comfortable seating around a television, and tables for games or snacks. “We want them to encourage them to get out of their rooms and connect with their neighbors,” Stoe points out.
Each unit is thoughtfully decorated. Blue walls (echoing the sky) highlight the north-facing rooms; southern exposures are accented in green for fields and forests. Each fully furnished unit features original artwork by artist Amanda K. Hagen of Heartstrings Art Studio, who also helped with the initial design by Schulz + Associates Architects. Border Construction was the project’s general contractor.
The first tenants – vetted by the Clay County HRA and the Veterans Administration – are expected to begin moving into their apartments in July. Brooks expects the building to be fully occupied by the end of the year. Preference will be given to applicants who have been unhoused or whose low incomes qualify. He notes that “because we’re the landlord, we can be a little more flexible in tenant selection.”
Brooks emphasizes that no funding for construction of Silver Linings has come from Churches United’s regular budget. Instead, the facility is underwritten by a $10.5 million low-interest bond appropriated by the 2019 Minnesota Legislature. The state will turn over ownership to Churches United after a final inspection this week. Churches United has arranged with Arriving Home, an independent nonprofit set up by the Housing Authority of Cass County, to manage the building.
He emphasizes that the apartment house’s construction had nothing to do with the widely publicized financial crisis Churches United faced a year ago. He adds, “If run properly, these buildings can cash-flow themselves.” The neighboring Skies Apartments, completed in 2018 and housing formerly unhoused families, will produce a narrow but positive net gain of $4,000.
With the help of the nonprofit Beyond Housing, Silver Linings has been designed to sustain itself with its own projected income. Residents will pay their rents – typically set at 30% of their income, including Social Security and other sources – directly to the local nonprofit. A majority have access to housing vouchers provided by the VA and Minnesota housing support programs. That, suggests Brooks, is part of the formula that he believes may become the future of similar permanent housing programs.
“When tenants are housed in market-rate apartments, that money goes into the landlords’ pockets,” executive director Brook observes. “Here at Silver Linings, we will be the landlord. Rental income will be used to operate the building, with excess dollars held in trust on behalf of the community itself. It’s a closed loop. The state has invested its money here to make sure that this facility will exist in perpetuity.”
As the Silver Linings project winds up, Brooks suggests that more development may lie in the future. “We have the incredible advantage of owning our own cul-de-sac,” he says, gesturing toward the open land across Third Avenue. “With its new corporate structure and newly committed board, Churches United is ready to develop plans to utilize this once-in-a-generation opportunity.
“We have an opportunity here to make a generational impact.”