Cover Photo - AH Shelter - sm

Alexandra House Seeks Community Feedback

Alexandra House seeks community input on a potential renovation project.

About the Project:

Alexandra House is considering upgrading and enlarging its emergency shelter space to better cater to those seeking refuge from violence and requiring shelter. Because of COVID-19 safety protocols, we can only house one household per bedroom, limiting our ability to accommodate a maximum of ten households at a time, and restricting individual capacity to 22-25. Before COVID-19, we regularly provided shelter for more than 35 individuals, with one or more households sharing a single room.

Under our current living arrangements, each resident family is placed in a single room, often with three or four beds in a confined space, to ensure that mothers and their children can stay together. Every three rooms share a bathroom, which three or more families use.

By expanding and renovating our emergency shelter, we aim to create separate housing units for each family (including their pet(s)), akin to self-contained apartments. This would offer residents greater privacy, more family time, and the autonomy to work through their traumatic experiences and promote healing.

Our expansion plans are geared toward providing Trauma-Informed Care to victims/survivors of sexual and domestic violence. We believe that safety, kindness, and a supportive atmosphere are vital for people to heal and work through their traumatic experiences. This approach is also beneficial for children during the healing process.

Please complete the anonymous survey to provide essential feedback to guide the
organization’s next steps. Thank you for your time.

About Alexandra House, Inc.:

Alexandra House is a comprehensive domestic and sexual violence service provider in Anoka County, Minnesota, founded in 1977. We offer free services for women, men, youth, and families affected by domestic, sexual, or relationship violence and elder abuse. Our services extend to the seven-county metro area, particularly Anoka, Hennepin, and Ramsey counties. Our services are also available to individuals from surrounding counties, greater Minnesota, and even other states for those seeking safety and healing. Our services include a 24-hour emergency shelter, legal advocacy, support groups, housing and supportive services, youth intervention and prevention services, elder abuse services, community education, and professional training.