Home at last, with innovative services added: Restoring Waters welcomes 60 families in St. Paul

More than a year after ground was broken in St. Paul for a new affordable housing building, Restoring Waters officially became a home offering innovative supportive services for 60 families.

About 100 people gathered Tuesday afternoon for the grand opening of Restoring Waters, created by the Twin Cities nonprofits Project for Pride in Living and Emma Norton Services to support small families that have experienced homelessness.

“To walk into the building was very calming and enlightening,” said Cecilia Adette, 62, at the opening event. She moved into Restoring Waters last month.

Nellie Francis Court, a second nearby property developed by Project for Pride in Living that also officially opened on Tuesday, will provide 75 apartments for low-income working families. St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter, St. Paul City Council Member Saura Jost and Ramsey County Commissioner Rafael Ortega were present for the official opening of both facilities at Highland Bridge, former site of a Ford Motor Companies assembly plant.

Services that Restoring Waters will offer its residents include a peer support specialist, a meditation room and a fitness room.

There will also be a center, called the Living Room Model, designed as an alternative to emergency rooms for those experiencing mental health crises — the first such center in Minnesota. Services will be provided free of charge by a peer specialist.

Twenty-seven residents have already moved in, including Adette on the fifth floor. By the end of July, all units are expected to be full.

“We need housing like this in our city … housing that is affordable with service-providing homes that will strengthen our community members and our families, and really allow them to see their full potential and build their communities up,” Jost said at the opening. She represents the city’s Ward 3, where the two buildings are located.

Adette said she experienced homelessness in 2015 and again in 2023. Emma Norton Services found her housing at the Emma Norton Residence in St. Paul.

There, Adette shared a room with another resident and bathrooms with several others.

“You think it’s better, and it was better, but then you get here [at Restoring Waters] and it’s like, ‘No, this is it,’” Adette said. “Here, us becoming more independent will be much easier than over there.”

Earlier this year, the Emma Norton Residence gradually closed down and moved most of its residents to Restoring Waters. Now, Adette lives in her own studio apartment. The building has gardening and art rooms. A rooftop patio is open to residents. Each floor has a free laundry room. All the units come furnished.

“I just think of the day when the people living here will be able to fill their days with being in a place where it’s really designed for you to be the best possible human you can be,” said Tonya Brownlow, Emma Norton’s executive director.

About $22.9 million in construction and permanent financing for Restoring Waters came from the Greater Minnesota Housing Fund, Minnesota Housing, the Metropolitan Council, Ramsey County and the city of St Paul. That included $6.5 million in private equity from the Minnesota Equity Fund through the federal low-income housing tax credit program.

According to the most recent survey by Wilder Research, 10,522 people experienced homelessness in Minnesota on the night of October 26, 2023. That was the second-highest count in the past three decades.

The previous count, in 2018, had the highest number at 11,371.

The funding that made it possible

To live at Restoring Waters, residents must have experienced long-term homelessness, typically one year or more and have a disabling condition, such as chemical dependency or a chronic health condition. Rent will be covered by the state’s Housing Support program.

At Nellie Francis Court, units are meant to be affordable for households that annually earn 50 to 60% of the area’s median income, or $43,500 to $52,200 for a one-person household. About 30 residents now live at Nellie Francis Court, which offers studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments.

All units have heat, water, sewer and trash services included in rent. There are in-unit washers and dryers.

The total development cost of Nellie Francis Court was approximately $24 million from various funding sources, including debt and equity from the Greater Minnesota Housing Fund/Cinnaire and financial support from the city of St. Paul and others.

Adette said she’s excited for more people to move in. Since many residents from the previous building moved to Restoring Waters, the community has felt “more cohesive,” she said.

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