DAKOTA WOODLANDS INC
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Mission Statement
Empowering displaced families on their journey to independence.
About This Cause
Mission and Goals Dakota Woodlands’ mission is to empower displaced families on their journey to independence. Our main goal is to help families secure and maintain permanent housing. We do this by partnering with families to ensure they have access to resources, education, and support to gain stability and maintain independence. Programs and Activities Dakota Woodlands’ staff walk alongside families every step of the way during their stay at Dakota Woodlands. To start, families get settled into their own bedroom, furnished with all furniture, linens and personal care items needed. Families are offered three meals daily, each offering a variety of options including those that meet their medical and cultural needs. In addition, there is open access to snacks and beverages throughout the day. Families that participate in the Dakota Woodlands program are welcome to stay at the shelter as long as they need to. Our Case Managers partner with families, helping them to achieve goals of gaining stability, access to healthcare, increasing family well-being, and having a safe home to move into. We do this by providing 24/7 support, removing barriers, making connections, and providing specialized training and education. 24/7 Support. Dakota Woodlands’ staff provide families with social opportunities, transportation, arrange for meetings, medical appointments, social services, and remind clients to take medications that are self-administered. Removing Barriers. Our Case Managers assist families with removing barriers that prevent them from moving into affordable housing. These barriers can include: evictions and unlawful detainers, money owed to utilities, childcare needs, transportation needs, chemical dependency (treatment), untreated mental health needs, criminal backgrounds, health insurance, anger management, and outstanding warrants. Making connections. Our staff connect families with services that help sustain independence after leaving Dakota Woodlands. Examples of those connections are with: therapists, treatment facilities, doctors/dentists, PSOP services, ARMHS workers, identifying local food shelves and other basic needs resources, helping solve transportation needs, continued education, and jobs. Specialized Training. Dakota Woodlands’ staff and volunteers help to provide specialized training to help families build confidence and gain life skills that help maintain stability and independence. Dakota Woodlands’ Building Life Skills Program provides classes on topics such as: renting/tenancy, employment, financial empowerment, and parenting. The RENTWise series is a comprehensive curriculum that provides education and skills on renting. Families receive a certificate of completion once they complete all classes. Families that complete the Building Life Skills Program receive a certificate of completion along with the RENTWise series certificate, provided by the University of Minnesota. Both certificates help our clients show potential landlords that they are serious about being great tenants. Families are also able to work one on one with a parenting educator through local Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE) programs. Dakota Woodlands also provides a number of elective classes such as Healthy Cooking, which allows our families to work alongside an instructor from the University of Minnesota. We also offer meditation, yoga, and encouragement/empowerment classes for parents looking for something more. Dakota Woodlands partners closely with Dakota County in order to place homeless families in Dakota County at our shelter. Dakota County maintains the wait list for families to enter the shelter, as well as provides resources such as transportation, mental health support, chemical dependency groups, and legal support for clients. In addition, Dakota Woodlands has several community partners to help support our work and our residents such as local churches, emergency shelters, food shelves, and clothing closets.