History Highlights

1970 – Freeport West is founded by a group of young adults who had attended a deinstitutionalization conference in Freeport, MA. They return to Minnesota to found a shelter for runaway youth.

1983 – Freeport West establishes Family Assessment and Support Services (currently known as Freeport FamilyWorks) to provide youth and their families with services aimed at keeping their families stable and intact.

1985 – Freeport West establishes Project SOLO, providing services to teenagers who are homeless, at risk of homelessness or living in unstable homes.

1991 – SOLO receives a US DHHS grant to provide transitional housing, using scattered-site rental housing, for homeless youth.

1994 – Freeport West establishes Community Building program, which includes recruiting community members to open their homes and come together to assess their community strengths and be supportive of their community and each other – creating Community Living Rooms.

1994 – SOLO calls together other youth providers conducting street outreach to talk about coordination of outreach efforts. Together, Freeport and eight agencies initiate StreetWorks, a collaborative street outreach program to homeless youth.

2000 – Freeport West receives a Families Count award—one of eight nationally—from the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The award recognized our innovative approach to encouraging and supporting natural systems of community support.

2004 – Freeport West, Hope Community and Powderhorn Phillips Cultural Wellness Center collaborate on telling our stories and writing the "End of One Way" publication.

2004 – Mutual of America gives Community Partnership Award to StreetWorks in recognition of our outstanding partnership with leaders of the public, private or social sector for the greater good of our community.

Want to learn more? Download a PDF of our complete history.