Jeremiah Program receives state funding to build Rochester campus

The Jeremiah Program, a nonprofit that helps single mothers and their children break the cycle of poverty, has been awarded $11 million from the state of Minnesota to begin construction on a new facility in Rochester.

The campus — to be built in northwest Rochester on land donated by philanthropists Jack and Mary Ann Remick — will include 40 rentals homes, along with on-site childcare and development services. Work on the project is expected to begin next year, with the campus fully operational by 2020.

To qualify for the program, participants must be a single mother, at least 18 years of age, with a GED or high school diploma — and committed to enrolling in a post-secondary institution. The organization estimates that the unemployment rate for single mothers in Rochester is nearly 20 percent.

In addition to funding the Jeremiah Program’s Rochester campus, Minnesota Housing also supported two other affordable housing projects locally.

One project, from Joseph Development II LLC, calls for 76 affordable rental homes, including four high-priority homeless households and four households with disabilities. Another, from First Homes, will create two single-family homes and 12 townhomes — all workforce housing.

Support for the three projects will come from an $87.5 million grant package announced this week by the state. The funding will create and preserve 1,700 units of affordable housing across Minnesota, according to state officials.

Since 2011, Minnesota Housing has supported 20 projects that are affordable to Rochester’s workforce — from downpayment programs for single-family homebuyers to the construction of new rental housing.

Cover: Rendering of the Jeremiah Program campus in Rochester