Interfaith Action to move to new locations to better serve community
In late 2018, the board of directors of Interfaith Action of Greater Saint Paul voted to put our building at 1671 Summit Avenue in Saint Paul on the market. After many years at this location, our growing organization needs different spaces to better serve more people.
Interfaith Action recently accepted an offer; the sale closes September 30, 2021.
Our focus remains the same: to mobilize diverse faith and spiritual communities to engage in work that supports our neighbors’ stability and economic mobility through our Department of Indian Work (DIW), Project Home, Opportunity Saint Paul, and Community Power-Up programs.
DIW to temporarily stay put
DIW which operates a food shelf out of the lower level, will continue operations in the current space until a suitable new location is found, no later than the end of 2021.
DIW and Interfaith Action leadership are searching for a new site that best serves DIW families. We seek to secure a location and move by the end of 2021 to ensure we have no interruption in food shelf and other emergency services.
In September, Interfaith Action’s administrative staff will move to offices at the Provincial House (home of Project Home) at 1880 Randolph Avenue. Once a suitable location is found for DIW, administrative staff will begin officing at DIW and Project Home on a rotating basis.
Why move?
“The pandemic gave us the opportunity to re-think how we use office and meeting space for our day-to-day work,” says Executive Director Randi Ilyse Roth. “With a more flexible administrative model, we do not need as much permanent administrative office space.”
The move is also acknowledging that DIW has grown significantly over the past several years. We have expanded our services, and the demand for our culturally specific food shelf has grown 150% over the past year and a half. The current space is no longer adequate for the level of service we provide.
In addition, with no loading dock and no freight elevator in our current space, DIW staff and volunteers must haul the food up and down a flight of stairs every day. Given that we are distributing more than 185,000 pounds of food annually, it is not sustainable to continue to operate in our current location.
DIW is searching for a location close to where the majority of clients live and where there is easier access to public transit. We are working with a broker to identify locations but welcome any ideas our community has about available space in suburban Ramsey County.
“The building at 1671 Summit has been a meaningful part of the neighborhood for decades,” says Roth. “Our neighbors have been wonderful supporters of our work and we are deeply grateful to them. We welcome the new owners of the building, who will bring energy and ideas for the building’s next chapter.”
