At Stepping Stone Emergency Housing, we know that strong community partnerships are essential to helping our residents move from homelessness to hope. Few partners embody that spirit more fully than Walters Recycling & Refuse, a family-founded, community-driven company with deep roots in Anoka County and an unwavering commitment to giving back. Founded in 1988 [...]
At Stepping Stone Emergency Housing, monthly donors are more than supporters—they’re pillars. We recently sat down with two members of our Pillars of Hope Giving Circle, Ken Ebel and Shirley Welch, to learn what inspires them to give each month—and why it matters. Both Ken and Shirley bring lifetimes of service to the community. [...]
At Stepping Stone Emergency Housing, we believe in the power of second chances, compassionate support, and personal determination. Every resident who walks through our doors has a story—and occasionally, they leave behind a message that reminds us exactly why we do this work. Recently, we received this heartfelt note from a resident at our [...]
For many residents entering Stepping Stone Emergency Housing, the first face they see belongs to William Wicklund. As the shelter’s Intake Specialist, William is more than just the one who handles “the boring paperwork”—he’s a welcoming presence, a reassuring voice, and often the first person to show our residents that they’re in a safe [...]
When we picture homelessness, the image that often comes to mind is someone living on a city street, pushing a shopping cart or sleeping in a tent. But homelessness doesn’t always look like that—and increasingly, it doesn’t. In suburban communities across the country, people are experiencing homelessness in cars, motels, or temporarily couch surfing [...]
Behind every warm, nourishing meal served at Stepping Stone is the heart and hustle of our Cafeteria Manager, though he prefers the title “Food Wizard,” Jason Lehmann. With over three decades of experience in food service at Universities, Jason left behind the sprawling commercial kitchens and corporate culture to find purpose in a very [...]
When Chuck Philipsek first got involved with Stepping Stone Emergency Housing, he didn’t step into a boardroom—he stepped into the garden. Answering a call for landscaping help more than three years ago, Chuck offered his skills to refresh the grounds of the shelter. That initial involvement led to a transformative collaboration in 2022, when [...]
When Annette Duffy first walked through the doors of Stepping Stone Emergency Housing, she wasn’t planning a career change. With more than a decade of experience in the medical field, Annette was simply answering a friend’s call to fill a temporary position. She had never worked in a shelter before. “It was a new [...]
