A fire on Friday, July 16, 2021, at 1549 University Ave. W. has left Small Sums, a nonprofit that buys work tools for the homeless, looking for a temporary new home along the Green Line.
A program in Saint Paul uses a unique approach to get Minnesotans back to work.
Small Sums, a nonprofit based in St. Paul’s Midway neighborhood, is best known for helping the homeless qualify for jobs by providing work items such as shoes, tools and bus cards.
When burglars hit Small Sums over Christmas last year, they took 76 monthly bus passes and Goodwill clothing cards meant for the homeless. Executive director Terre Thomas worried she wouldn’t be able to help clients the following week. Instead, thanks to news stories widely shared on social media, the organization ended up with $30,000 in donations. To say thank you to a generous public, the nonprofit organization is holding an open house Saturday, April 9.
A St. Paul non-profit that helps homeless people re-enter the workforce is recovering after thieves broke into their office on Christmas.
Police are investigating a Christmas crime that targeted a Twin Cities organization known for helping the homeless.
Small Sums and Dignity Center create care packets for the homeless
For hundreds of people in the Twin Cities, the difference between homelessness and a more stable existence is a pair of black, no-slip shoes. Or barber tools. Or a bus pass. Or work clothes. Or an electrician’s license renewal.
Lyndale resident Terre Thomas — best known as the Fairy Godmother — is working to raise $29,000 to help outfit the homeless for new jobs.
The Twin Cities nonprofit helps homeless people who’ve found jobs buy items they need for work.
In the video , Small Sums Executive Director Terre Thomas is interviewed by Comcast news anchor Kevyn Burger about providing help to homeless workers so they can take a job.
Small Sums identifies overlooked necessities that help skilled workers return to the workforce and move toward self-sufficiency.
Terre Thomas, who recently retired as executive director, was previously the Client & Partner Coordinator at Small Sums, a St. Paul non-profit which makes small grants to the homeless and the recently unemployed, to help them get back to work by paying for their license renewals or basic workplace tools and necessities like bus cards, work boots and hammers. The photos covering the wall are of clients who have received help from Small Sums.
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