Avenues for Youth

A Home of Our Own is a transformational new 30,000 SF headquarters and supportive housing campus for  Avenues for Youth in North Minneapolis, providing emergency shelter, transitional housing, affordable apartments, and wraparound services for young people experiencing homelessness. As Avenues for Youth embarked on this ambitious expansion, Element served as Owner’s Representative, helping guide the project from early planning and financing through design, pre-construction, and construction to the project’s grand opening in July 2026.

Role
‍Owner’s Representation, Development Consulting, Financial Strategy, Project Management, and Pre-Construction

Opportunity & Challenges
Avenues for Youth needed a purpose-built facility that could expand its capacity while creating spaces centered on dignity, safety, and belonging. Bringing that vision to life required coordinating a complex development process and assembling a layered capital stack that combined public funding, philanthropic investment, NMTC equity, and bridge financing.

Approach
Element partnered with Avenues early in the process to help define project scope, select the development and design team, structure and coordinate financing, and guide the project through design and pre-construction. Working alongside Avenues leadership and LHB, Inc., Element helped align the project’s financial, operational, and programmatic goals with a design that supports both immediate needs and long-term growth.

Results
→ Delivered a 30,006 SF purpose-built campus for Avenues for Youth
→ Expanded Avenues’ annual reach from 300 to 500 young people
→ Developed a complex capital stack spanning federal, state, and local funding, philanthropy, NMTC equity, and bridge financing
→ Created dedicated spaces for emergency shelter, transitional housing, affordable apartments, and supportive services
→ Incorporated communal and outdoor spaces designed around dignity, safety, belonging, and connection
→ Grand opened in July 2026, creating a lasting resource for young people in North Minneapolis