HOLIDAY CLOSURE: The Health & Fitness Center will be closed on Sunday, April 17th, in observance of Easter.
Letter from our CEO
Resilience is defined as adapting in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, or stress. It means “bouncing back” from difficult experiences. And, with the support of our many partners, that’s exactly what YWCA St. Paul did in 2020.
In this past year of unprecedented upheaval, we leaned into resilience to continue our efforts to fight racism, gender inequity, homelessness, and disparities in employment and education. And in the face of so much stress and trauma, we re-doubled our efforts to help people maintain their health and wellness goals.
In any year, those are challenging issues. But as we all know, this past year has been unrelenting. 2020 brought us a worldwide pandemic that has taken lives, jobs, homes, and stability. Many children have fallen far behind in school. The Twin Cities was also the epicenter of a movement for racial justice that has shaken our country and reverberated around the world.
And while all of us have faced challenges during these turbulent times, the individuals and families served by YWCA St. Paul have been especially hard hit.
Helping people find jobs, secure housing, access academic programs, or improve their health has never been more important. And helping our community come together to address racism and work for racial justice has special urgency.
In response, YW focused on breaking down barriers and building up communities. We’ve accomplished that in a number of ways, including initiating monthly equity and justice conversations with the community—recognizing the importance of offering a safe space for challenging discussions that have the power to drive change. And we launched our first-ever, 21 Day Racial Equity and Social Justice Challenge—taking thousands on a journey of education and engagement.
Resilience has shown up in many forms in our work. We rallied to meet emergency needs for food and supplies. We closed our Health & Fitness Center and switched to virtual offerings when the pandemic prevented us from exercising inside. Staff learned to work and collaborate remotely. We hosted online gatherings for young leaders and offered them a blog platform to connect with other teens who were feeling isolated. And we mastered Zoom webinars to bring supporters together for a variety of events and fundraisers.
All of this work was made possible by the support of donors both old and new. We were proud to be one of the first recipients of 3M’s newly established Social Justice Fund. And we were gratified to learn we had been selected to receive an unexpected gift—and the single largest in our history—from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott to support our work.
At YWCA St. Paul, we believe in the power of people to partner, advocate, engage, and drive change. Thank you for supporting our work and helping build a community where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.
Gaye Adams Massey
CEO, YWCA St. Paul
YWCA St. Paul is on a mission to eliminate racism, empower women and promote peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all.
731
individuals pursued job training on the path to secure employment and stability.
116
young people participated in youth programs, building sustainable futures.
293
families benefited from our Housing & Supportive Services.
2,334
individuals improved health and wellness at our Health & Fitness Center.
Program Summaries
ADVANCING RACIAL JUSTICE
Through programs that break down barriers in areas of significant racial and gender disparity, YWCA St. Paul partners with other organizations to build equity and advance racial justice through education and advocacy in the community.
EMPLOYMENT & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Empowering people to overcome barriers and obtain living-wage jobs in high-demand fields is the focus of our Career Pathways program, which provides certificate/credential training and ongoing support. Through YW Works (funded by Ramsey County’s Workforce Solutions), we also deliver culturally specific employment services to African American participants of the Minnesota Family Investment Program.
HEALTH & WELLNESS
Helping people maintain an active lifestyle, prevent and manage chronic medical conditions, and reduce stress is the goal of the Health & Fitness Center. We offer a variety of fitness options, membership types and financial assistance to make healthy living accessible.
HOUSING & SUPPORTIVE SERVICES
Safe, stable housing is a critical ingredient in the long-term success of many of our families. Our range of housing programs (Rapid Re-Housing, Transitional Housing Program and Permanent Supportive Housing) combine affordable housing with customized support services to help participants stabilize their lives, build new skills, connect to community and secure a future of safe, stable housing.
YOUTH DEVELOPMENT
Our Girls Emerge and Youth Employment programs are designed to help young people create positive relationships with peers and staff, developing the skills and confidence needed to succeed in the classroom, workplace, and community. We also offer support and resources to help the remarkable young women of the Young Women’s Initiative of Minnesota Cabinet develop leadership and advocacy skills.
2020 In Review
Lateasha's Story
YWCA St. Paul participant Lateasha faced challenges that are not uncommon today. She struggled to find affordable daycare for her son while she was at work. Despite working several jobs, she still had trouble securing safe housing in her price range and found herself living in motels with her toddler son for nearly two years.
She was new to the Twin Cities and didn’t know many people. She felt alone and hopeless. No matter how hard she tried, there was always another roadblock.
Financial assistance paired with guidance and support from YW staff helped Lateasha create a clear path forward from a situation that felt hopeless.
Then YWCA St. Paul entered her life and offered the boost she needed.
When YW staff first met Lateasha, she received only $110 a month on Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP) public assistance and worked a low-wage job. Because of a relationship crisis, she’d been forced to break her rental lease and owed a significant amount of back rent to the landlord, which had accrued interest. This impacted her ability to secure new housing and created a debt that seemed insurmountable.
The YWCA staff means everything to me. They’re not just financial support, they’re moral support. I’m an advocate for the YWCA—they believed in me and I’m forever grateful.”
YWCA St. Paul provided direct financial assistance to pay off this debt. YW’s Housing Coordinator then helped Lateasha secure a safe, sunny one-bedroom apartment for her and her energetic little boy.
With help from YW, Lateasha developed a financial plan, paid off debt, and prepared to transition off MFIP funds. She continued to work full time as a healthcare assistant and, with support from YW staff, began the process of applying to college courses to advance her career in the medical field and earn better wages to sustain long-term self-sufficiency. Financial assistance paired with guidance and support from YW staff helped Lateasha create a clear path forward from a situation that had felt hopeless.
Spending for Change
Did you know that your extra spending could change a life?
- Donate the cost of your daily latte for two weeks and you’ll cover the testing fee for one participant’s Commercial Driver’s License ($50).
- Skip two weeks of takeout meals and you’ll be able to provide school supplies for a child in temporary housing ($150).
- Instead of purchasing the latest smart watch, you can make three months of job-readiness training available to a teen ($300).
- For the cost of one high-end home cycling system, you can
underwrite a year’s membership to the Health & Fitness Center for two families ($1,400).
Your support for YWCA St. Paul makes our community a better place for people facing adversity. We are able to provide vital services because of donors like you!
Thank you to our supporters
We are so grateful to each and every one of our donors, sponsors, foundation funders, board members and volunteers! Your contributions to YWCA St. Paul are a valued investment into our community and its future. Thank you!
Sweet Success Sponsors
Michelle Beeman & Barbara E. Tretheway
Bremer Bank
Ecolab
Steve Halvorsen
Beverly Jones Heydinger
Imagine IT
Gaye Adams Massey
Bill & Danette McCarthy
Old National Bank
Red Cow/Red Rabbit St. Paul
Regions Hospital
Frank & Betsy Russomanno
Kathy Schubert
Securian Financial
Smith Foundation
3M
U.S. Bank Wealth Management
Xcel Energy
Cassandra & Robert Yarbrough
Sweet Success Challenge Match Sponsors
Hardenbergh Foundation
YWCA St. Paul Board of Directors
Board Members
January 1, 2020–December 31, 2020
Mara Ascheman
Kristin Beckmann
Charles Bradley, Jr.
Angela Burns Finney
Kim Ferguson
Tina Grant
Steve Halvorsen
Beverly Jones Heydinger
Liesl Kistow
Alison Lehman
Kathleen Marron
Gaye Adams Massey
Sara E. Gross Methner
Yvonne Mitchell
Barb Tretheway
Anika Ward
Shelley Carthen Watson
Yohuru Williams
Cassandra Yarbrough
Summary of Financial Activity
January 1, 2020–December 31, 2020
Revenue & Expenses
Revenue
The majority of YWCA St. Paul’s revenue was generated through contributions. Our Health & Fitness Center brought in less revenue than in past years due to two pandemic-related closures.
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Contributions $4,858,671
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Government Grants $1,682,268
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Rental Income $799,971
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Health & Fitness Center $472,956
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United Way $316,441
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Professional Services $178,585
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Program Service Fees $97,490
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Miscellaneous $27,045
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Total Revenue $8,433,427
Expenses
In 2020, 73% of spending was for program-related expenses. The COVID-19 pandemic required YW to extend the time over which we spent several government grants, so program spending was lower than in a typical year.
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Program Expenses $4,372,235
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General and Administrative $1,068,333
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Fundraising $550,638
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Total Expenses* $5,991,206
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Change in Net Assets $2,442,221
*Reflects $376,624 in depreciation and other non-cash expenses, including $647,893 on housing units for homeless families where contracts stipulate no interest and no principal payments are due for the term of the loan.
Balance Sheet
YWCA St. Paul’s net assets were $4,176,034 for 2020. Of this, ($679,568) was undesignated and $4,855,602 was donor-designated funds.
Assets
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Current Assets $4,589,267
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Property and Equipment (Net) $5,354,135
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Other Assets $805,133
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Total Assets $10,748,535
Liabilities
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Current Liabilities $2,034,868
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Debt Requiring Payments $3,303,633
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Debt Forgivable $1,170,000
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Deferred Revenue $64,000
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Total Liabilities $6,572,501
Net Assets
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Undesignated ($679,568)
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Donor Designated $4,855,602
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Total Liabilities & Net Assets $10,748,535