Imagine walking into a space that feels alive with hope the moment you enter. Coffee brewing. Students studying together after school. A young musician playing their very first set. Shelves filled with goods created by local bakers and artisans. Mothers rebuilding their lives upstairs while gaining confidence, job skills, and community downstairs. Gather is not just a tea & coffee house – it is a place designed to change lives every single day. This project will transform a corner lot in Ramsey into a vibrant community destination where affordable housing, entrepreneurship, workforce development, youth connection, and genuine belonging all exist under one roof.
For nearly ten years, Elevate Hope House has walked alongside mothers and children as they move from crisis toward stability, and Gather is the next bold step forward: creating a space where people are not only served, but truly known. Every cup poured, every workshop hosted, every apartment built, and every conversation shared becomes part of something bigger—a community where hope is tangible and opportunity is possible.
Elevate Hope House is pursuing Gather, a new building project in Ramsey, Minnesota.
Since launching residential services in 2020, Elevate Hope House has served 20 mothers and 29 children. As moms progress through the two-year Elevate Shared Housing Program, they take on increasing responsibility for their finances, schedules, parenting, education and careers, and long-term housing plans.
While graduates make meaningful progress, housing is one of the greatest barriers to self-sufficiency.
Of the mothers who have graduated from Elevate Hope House:
- Approximately 25% have been able to secure housing that could be considered affordable and sustainable long-term
- Four mothers have moved out of state in order to find affordable housing
- Only two graduates have been able to establish affordable housing within the community they built their support network
This housing gap is what led to Gather becoming part of Elevate’s vision. It was realized that graduates do not need the Shared Housing Program to last longer; they need a place to land that they can afford, among their existing and supportive community.
Gather will span approximately 10,400 square feet across two levels, located on Sunwood Drive in the center of Ramsey. Together, the two levels create a unique model: a place where the broader community can gather while also creating a next step in housing, employment experience, and continued support for young moms and their children.