ORGANIZATION HISTORY

 

 

 

Model Cities’ roots date back to the 1960s era of community empowerment.  It was created in 1967 by members of St. James AME Church to remedy health access issues among low income residents of St. Paul’s Summit-University community. With a $25,000 grant from Ramsey Action Programs and the City of St Paul, a Public Health Nurse was hired to coordinate volunteer services of physicians, dentists and nurses.  A van was purchased to provide free health services throughout the neighborhood and other parts of the City.

 

Since its early beginnings, Model Cities has gone from a small fledgling health outreach project to a comprehensive human service provider and community-based developer dedicated to making its surrounding neighbourhoods a ‘model’ environment.  Each year, Model Cities helps more than 1,000 vulnerable individual and families reconstruct their lives by providing comprehensive crisis intervention, social services, children’s mental health, crisis intervention, supportive housing and youth services.  The majority of the people served are low-income persons of color who reside within 12 St Paul neighborhoods.

 

Since 1986, Model Cities has also been actively involved in real estate development, and has developed eight newly constructed commercial and residential structures.

 

In 1998, Model Cities Community Development Corporation was established as a 501(c)(3) organization  to formally link our human services with our community development activities.  Three commercial structures and five residential structures have been developed (both new construction and rehabilitation).   Model Cities began developing supportive housing in 1992 and currently owns and manages 37 units of affordable and supportive housing.    In partnership with Aurora St. Anthony Neighborhood Development Corporation, six single family homes have been newly constructed for low/moderate income families, and construction of six additional homes is now being planned.

 

Since its early beginnings, Model Cities has gone from being a neighborhood initiative, to a public satellite clinic, to a comprehensive community-based organization.  Its growth has been directed through careful strategic planning, which maps out goals, strategies, and major activities required for achieving a 3-year vision.  The first strategic plan was developed in 1985, and since that time, strategic planning has served as the agency’s primary planning tool.

 

Our human services mission:

To carry out culturally sensitive services that promote the physical, mental, spiritual, social and economic well-being of individuals, families and communities

 

 

Our community development mission:

to carry out community-based development that improves the quality of life and contributes to the revitalization of urban communities