Supportive Housing Project to Provide 75 Affordable Apartments in St. Paul, MN 

Cinnaire recently joined our partners from Emma Norton, Project for Pride in Living, St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter, Council member Chris Tolbert, and Northern Division of Ryan Companies to celebrate the groundbreaking for Restoring Waters and Nellie Francis Court in St. Paul, MN. The new Restoring Waters supportive housing facility will provide affordable housing and support services for families recovering from trauma and home instability. Nellie Francis Court will bring a 75-unit affordable apartment development to the community. Cinnaire provided a $7.1 million Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) investment to support Restoring Waters and a $7.1 million LIHTC investment to support Nellie Francis Court.

“Since day one Cinnaire’s purpose has been about transforming neighborhoods and changing lives,” said Mark McDaniel, Cinnaire President, and CEO (left). “Restoring Waters will not only provide a high-quality, safe place to call home, but also serve to give families the support they need to create a pathway forward towards a better life. This project is going to change lives and we are proud to join our partners to invest in these projects.”

Cinnaire’ investment was coordinated through a strategic partnership with the Greater Minnesota Housing Fund (GMHF). Additional financing partners include Thrivent Financial and Securian Financial.

“Cinnaire fits into the grand constellation of partners for this project by way of connecting investors with impactful housing developments,” said Jeremy Bergwerff, Cinnaire Equity Underwriter. “While these are our first projects with PPL, they represent Cinnaire’s eighth and ninth investments in Minnesota. Each of our Minnesota investments have been sparked by our partnership with Greater Minnesota Housing Fund and we are grateful to work alongside them in supporting healthy communities across the state.”

The project is being developed by Project to Pride in Living (PPL), a mission-driven nonprofit that builds the hope, assets, and self-reliance of individuals and families who have lower incomes by providing transformative affordable housing and career readiness services.

Restoring Waters will become home to more than 60 individual and small families in a supportive housing residence, and provide the foundation for every person to heal, recover, and build a more stable and harmonious future. Support services will be provided by Emma Norton, a nonprofit service agency founded in 1971 to care for women and families recovering from trauma. The state-of-the-art development will incorporate the key features of a trauma-informed dignity and respect for residents, safety and privacy, inviting spaces, and a sense of stability and security. Restoring Waters will include expanded services for mental and physical health and all residents will have access to a variety of supportive professionals, including case managers, peer support specialists, and other health specialists to provide information, support, referrals, and advocacy as needed.

Nellie Francis Court will provide 75 apartments (from studio to two-bedroom) for low-income working individuals and families. The development will also include a community room, workspace, wellness space, bike room, and underground parking lot that will be shared with Emma Norton residents. The building is named after Nellie Griswold Francis, founder of the Everywoman Suffrage Club (ESC) in 1914. According to the Minnesota Historical Society, it was the only Black woman suffrage organization in Minnesota at the time. In 1920, the ESC became the Everywoman Progressive Council, dedicated to the promotion of political and economic equality and social justice.