Affordable Housing/Project Home Ministry Team

This team addresses the affordable housing crisis through policy work, direct service and education. Contact the Affordable Housing Ministry Team via Lisa Friedman at the Church Office.

Service Projects
Project Home is coordinated by Interfaith Action of Greater Saint Paul to provide emergency shelter for families facing homelessness in Ramsey County. Unity Church hosts Project Home each year during the month of May. Over 100 volunteers are needed to provide hospitality during the evening and overnight giving families with children comfort and a safe place to stay.  For more information visit their website at: www.IntefaithAction.org/ProjectHome or contact Justine Nelson by email at justine.nelson@state.mn.us.  

Families served through Project Home spend the day at The Family Place, a day center in downtown St. Paul. There are many volunteer opportunities there, including and cooking meals for families and providing activities for the children. For more information contact volunteer coordinator Mary Walde at mwalde@famplace.org. Visit The Family Place website at: http://famplace.org/

We support and participate in Habitat for Humanity with a two week building project each year in late spring. For more information on this opportunity contact Chuck Griggs by email at  griggscb@msn.com. Visit the Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity website at: http://www.tchabitat.org/

Education
From time to time the team offers congregational and community forums on issues of homelessness and affordable Housing.

Advocacy
This team advocates for policy and partnerships that will increase the supply of affordable housing.  Advocacy efforts often take place through a team community partner, Beacon Interfaith Housing Collaborative. 

Each year, team members participate in legislative days for Affordable Housing at the Minnesota State Capitol.

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​Project Home Steering Committee Needs Your Help

From Ann Russell, Unity's Project Home Team
We all recall the polar vortex and the disruption it brought to our lives and that of our family. What we perhaps forgot and failed to appreciate was the safety and comfort of our homes. For some it was even a wonderful opportunity to hunker down, drink hot chocolate, and read books and play games. However, some families saw nothing but fear and insecurity as they moved with their children from shelter to shelter. Others relied on Project Home, an agency that does more than shelter, helping families stabilize and find affordable and safe places to live. 

Unity Church supports Project Home and each May we open our religious education classrooms to house parents and children while they are in this transition. We recruit over 150 Unity Church members to staff the program each day from 5:00 p.m.-8:00 a.m.. Recruiting, training, and organizing this effort takes planning and the team needs a few more creative minds to make it go smoothly. This is a perfect service task for some because is time limited — we gear up in April and are finished by May 31. If you are willing to help, please contact Justine Nelson at justinenelson1@hotmail.com.