Catholic Charities completes $100 million Dorothy Day complex.

Byline: Brian Johnson

Roughly seven years after the project was conceived, Catholic Charities of St. Paul and Minneapolis has wrapped up the second and final phase of its Dorothy Day Center, a $100 million homeless shelter and permanent housing project in downtown St. Paul.

The project, described by Catholic Charities as the largest public-private partnership of its kind in state history, creates new housing and support services for people in need, including older youths and veterans.

On any given day, the two-building complex at 422 Dorothy Day Place will give 1,000 people a warm and safe place to stay, said Tim Marx, president and CEO of Catholic Charities.

Marx said the project was completed on time and on budget.

"We wanted to be complete before it got too cold," Marx said in an interview Tuesday. "We are meeting that, obviously."

St. Louis Park-based Watson-Forsberg oversaw construction. Cermak Rhoades, which recently merged with LHB, had architecture duties.

"This project team has worked really hard and diligently over all these years to bring this project to fruition," Marx said. "One thing for which we are so thankful, is the vigilant attention to safety. The attention to safety was simply stellar for that we are so grateful."

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Anchoring the newly completed second phase is the six-story Dorothy Day Residence, which offers 177 units of permanent housing, and the Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation St. Paul Opportunity Center.

At the St. Paul Opportunity Center, residents have access to services related to their health, income, housing stability and well-being, according to Catholic Charities. Fifteen community organizations, including Ramsey County, are participating in that effort.

"Smart, productive measures to combat the affordable housing crisis are needed now more than ever," Ramsey County Board of Commissioners Chair Jim McDonough said in a statement. "The public-private partnership between the county, business leaders and Catholic Charities at Dorothy Day Place provides a creative new way for Ramsey County to deliver critical services to our community."

The first project phase, known as Higher Ground St. Paul, opened in 2017. Higher Ground St. Paul provides emergency shelter, support services, and 193 permanent homes.

Some of the housing is set aside for "key populations," such as veterans (15 units), young...

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