Shared mission: affordable housing

“It is sad to be born with mental illness, but sadder still to be so hurt by the world that mental illness becomes the only retreat.

We wake up every morning knowing that the day ahead will be harder for us than it is for most people. Then we rise to face the challenges of the day.”    
-Trish Brock

Powerful words by a petite woman rang out as Trish delivered the Moment for Mission at Westminster Church in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. Some were stunned; others gave thanks as Trish broke the silence on an illness that is often unnamed during our public gatherings.

It was a day for new initiatives at Westminster. It was November 5, 2006, and the congregation was celebrating the purchase, preservation and restoration of the building that is home to Trish and the residents of twenty other apartments. Later that day, members of Westminster and their partner church in the project, Plymouth Congregational, gathered to give the building a new name, Abbott View.

Trish, a survivor of violence and abandonment, was homeless before she moved into her present home twenty years ago. Like most Abbott View residents, she lives with a disability. Abbott View is located ideally for shopping, clinics, services and public transportation. It is located within ten blocks of both churches. Some apartments have features that accommodate residents with physical disabilities.

According to Trish, the common perception is that everyone in Section 8 (federally subsidized) housing is a non-person. Yet, she describes her neighbors as “diverse” and “a supportive community that enables residents to help each other.”  She added, “We are the long-term and permanent residents the neighborhood needs.” Trish herself is a talented artist and illustrator and a member of the Minneapolis Arts Commission.

Residents of Abbott View nearly lost their homes and their community when the building went up for sale as part of neighborhood gentrification. When they discovered what was happening, residents, led by Trish, were determined to save their homes. Bearing a sign, “Stop taking homes from the Disabled,” they took their case to the state capitol, the mayor and their representative to the U.S. Congress.

In the meantime, Westminster was planning ways to expand its active community involvement by responding to the dire need for affordable housing. Abbott View became their first project. The Rev. Doug Mitchell, Associate Pastor at Westminster, explained that Abbott View is the first purchase by Westminster and Plymouth for the Housing 150 Initiative. Both congregations are celebrating their 150th anniversaries in 2007 and have committed leadership and financial resources “to have a significant impact on affordable housing in our community.”  According to Doug, the purchase prevented displacement of current residents because of the building’s intended conversion into market-rate condos. Most residents of Abbott View have annual incomes below $10,000. Under the federally subsidized program, residents pay thirty percent of household income for rent. The average monthly rent paid by current residents is $215. As apartments become available in the future, priority will be given to people who are homeless.

Abbott View is part of a long tradition of community involvement by Westminster. At the naming ceremony, the building became Abbott View because of its location across the street from a former hospital, owned for most of the twentieth century by Westminster. Abbott View is the first of a series of apartment purchases that will provide safe, decent housing for low-income persons, many of whom are living with disabilities.

Naming Ceremony Litany

Leader: As Westminster Presbyterian Church and Plymouth Congregational Church come together in this shared mission,

People: Sheltering God, bless our endeavors.

Leader: As our whole community comes to new awareness about the needs of all for safe, decent, affordable housing,

People: Sheltering God, inspire us to meet those needs.

Leader: As our neighbors make their homes in this building,

People: Sheltering God, watch over them.

Leader: As peoples of many backgrounds, conditions and abilities live together side by side,

People: Sheltering God, teach us to love one another.

Leader: As your realm slowly comes together in our midst,

People: Sheltering God, grant us peace.

All: Amen!

— by the Rev. Bebe Baldwin, PDC Vice Moderator