History of Stepping Stone

In 1994, Shiloh Ministries started providing shelter to homeless adults and was subsequently established as Stepping Stone Emergency Housing in 2005. Three years later, in 2008, Stepping Stone received non-profit status, a board of directors was appointed and a 16-bed facility was established on Ferry Street, creating the only licensed homeless shelter in Anoka County serving single adults.

In 2012, a new era in ending suburban homelessness began as Stepping Stone vastly expanded capacity and program offerings, with a unique focus on providing tools and resources to help residents break the cycle of homelessness. Today, Stepping Stone provides a 24/7 temporary home for up to 66 youth and adults in a dormitory-style setting.  In addition, Stepping Stone is one of only a small handful of shelters in the U.S. that provide a wide array of on-site supports and amenities to help residents move from homelessness to self-sufficiency.

Stepping Stone has an annual budget of $2.5 million and is the only homeless shelter serving youth and adults in the five suburban counties of Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Scott and Washington. In 2018, Stepping Stone provided emergency and programmatic shelter for 472 men and women experiencing homelessness, equating to more than 24,000 nights of shelter provided that year.