$500,000 Gift Lifts Cambridge Family Shelter Project
Cambridge, Minn.—A $500,000 gift from the Memorial Hospital Foundation is propelling New Pathways, Inc., closer to breaking ground on a permanent family shelter in Cambridge.
The Memorial Hospital Foundation donation to the “Hope Lives Here” capital campaign significantly boosts the nonprofit’s efforts to raise $3.5 million for a new 12,000-square-foot facility that will offer year-round shelter and wraparound services to families experiencing homelessness. The city of Cambridge is playing a crucial role and is poised to sell a parcel of land to New Pathways for $1.
With about 75 percent of the funds raised, construction on the new site—located adjacent to downtown Cambridge—could begin this summer if the remaining balance is secured.
“This [Memorial Hospital Foundation] gift is truly a game-changer,” said Mary Westlund, executive director at New Pathways. The organization has been moving toward its centralized shelter vision since 2020 when the pandemic exposed gaps in its church-based shelter model. A $60,000 grant from the Initiative Foundation in June 2022, supported by the Otto Bremer Trust, helped the organization explore the project’s feasibility, create plans and build its capital campaign.
“To see the community step up in such a meaningful way is incredibly moving,” Westlund said. “Now it’s no longer ‘if’ we get this done—it’s ‘when’ we get this done.”
New Pathways has served families across a five-county area for 25 years, helping them transition out of homelessness and into stable housing. The new shelter will double its current capacity, allowing the organization to serve up to 10 families at a time. Families will stay in private upper-floor efficiency apartments and will be supported by on-site programming, case management and recovery services. Most families stabilize within 90 days, with some staying up to six months.
“I think it’s really going to be life changing,” Westlund said. “I can’t imagine what it’s going to mean for families to get out of fight or flight more quickly and settle into rest and digest” so they can think and problem-solve and work toward finding permanent housing.
Lowell Becker, chair of the Memorial Hospital Foundation and a longtime physician in the community, said the decision to support the campaign was immediate and unanimous. Becker and another Memorial Hospital board member are part of the “Hope Lives Here” capital campaign and abstained from voting on the shelter project.
“When it was presented to our board, there wasn’t even a question,” Becker said. “This was exactly the kind of project we were looking for. Everybody was totally in favor of it. We wanted to help [New Pathways] get over that fundraising threshold to take it public. That’s why we jumped in with a pretty sizeable amount of money.”
Becker added, “I’ve lived here for 50 years. Just to feel the energy around this project—it’s rewarding enough. We have a board that’s focused and deeply committed to using our resources for something that truly matters in this community.”
The Memorial Hospital Foundation was established after Cambridge’s Memorial Hospital was sold to Allina Health. Seeded with funds from the transaction, the hospital foundation has maintained a strong focus on supporting health-related initiatives in Isanti County. It operates as a Partner Fund of the Initiative Foundation, which provides professional fund management and ensures long-term impact in the region.
“This generous gift demonstrates the transformative impact Initiative Foundation Partner Funds have on their communities,” said Brian Voerding, Initiative Foundation president. “We’re grateful to support this incredible investment, and don’t doubt that the community support behind this project will allow New Pathways to model the way and to support more families in the wider Cambridge area.”
For more information on the “Hope Lives Here” campaign, or to donate, visit https://newpathwaysmn.networkforgood.com/projects/201711-hope-lives-here-capital-campaign.
Resources
· Watch the “Hope Lives Here” capital campaign video
· View/download architectural renderings of the family shelter