Affordable housing development for Native American youth opens

The Ain Dah Yung Center’s new development is in partnership with Project for Pride in Living with generous support from donors such as the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community. (Photo by Project for Pride in Living)

PRIOR LAKE, Minn. – The Ain Dah Yung Center yesterday celebrated the grand opening of its new Mino Oski Ain Dah Yung Permanent Supportive Housing facility. The first-of-its-kind facility will provide critical culturally responsive housing and services to Native American youth experiencing homelessness.
Though only 2 percent of the Minnesota population is Native American, a staggering 22 percent of all homeless youth are Native. Mino Oski Ain Dah Yung (meaning “good new home” in Ojibwe) seeks to address this crisis by offering housing to Native youth ages 18-24 years old, an age where youth typically phase out of supportive services. The 42-unit facility includes a medicine garden, sweat lodge and cultural activities center where residents can practice and learn about traditional Native teachings and arts such as beading, quill work, drum making and regalia.
“We cannot continue to only respond to youth who are in crisis; we must use a comprehensive approach that encompasses their entire circumstances and network,” said Deb Foster, executive director of the Ain Dah Yung Center. “This new facility will be a place where holistic cultural services, programs and healing take place, a place where dreams are realized and homelessness ends, 42 young people at a time.”
The Ain Dah Yung Center partnered with Twin Cities nonprofit Project for Pride in Living on the development and property management of the facility. The $17.5 million project received support from public and private funders, including the City of Saint Paul, Metropolitan Council, Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe and the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community (SMSC).
The SMSC was the largest private donor, contributing a total of $700,000 toward the building’s infrastructure and cultural programs. In addition, the tribe’s initial $100,000 donation was leveraged to secure $750,000 in public funding from the Federal Home Loan Bank.
“Mino Oski Ain Dah Yung will help support Native youth throughout the region, giving them an opportunity to finish school, find gainful employment and learn how to be independent,” said SMSC Chairman Charles R. Vig. “This facility is a perfect example of the innovative investments in Indian Country that our tribe is proud to support.”
American Indian culture is not only the hub of all the services the facility provides but was also incorporated in the design of the building itself. Developed by the Ain Dah Yung Center in partnership with Project for Pride in Living, Mino Oski Ain Dah Yung was designed by Native architect Mike Laverdure of DSGW Architects to fit the needs of its young Native residents. The facility incorporates a tipi-inspired design honoring the Sioux communities of Minnesota and seven totems that represent the Seven Teachings of the Anishinaabe culture. The rear of the building also features a design reminiscent of a star quilt.
“We know investing in young people experiencing homelessness has long-term positive outcomes for both the young person and for our community,” says Paul Williams, president & CEO of Project for Pride in Living. “With the creation of 42 much-needed units of safe, supportive housing, we will increase economic opportunities and equity for American Indian youth in a culturally responsive way. Every detail of Mino Oski Ain Dah Yung is designed to give our Native youth an opportunity to attain their sense of identity and pride as young American Indians.”

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