Housing urged on Luther Seminary, Golf Course sites
This column originally was published in the St Anthony Park Bugle, March, 2026
Housing urged on Luther Seminary, Golf course sites
By Elaine Tarone, Khalique Rogers and Joe Nathan
Quietly, Minnesota children are pleading for permanent housing.
For humanitarian, moral and financial reasons, we strongly urge that the Luther Seminary and University Golf Course sites include housing affordable for middle- and low-income families.
We agree with St. Paul City Council member Molly Coleman, who declared passionately during her recent campaign that “housing is a human right.” Providing a range of housing on these sites would benefit all St. Anthony Park residents.
Part of the former University of Minnesota Golf Course – now being discussed as a housing site. Photo, Joe Nathan
But current plans for the seminary and golf course sites don’t appear to include housing for low-income families.
A few facts:
- The Minnesota Department of Education reports the number of Minnesota children and youth who experience homelessness on an average day increased by more than 2,000 between 2019 and 2025, from about 8,000 to more than 10,000.
- With assistance from several St. Anthony Park churches, 91 people, including 53 children from 28 families, currently are staying at the Project Home shelter in Bandana Square. They’re seeking permanent housing,
- Wilder Foundation research shows about one-quarter of Minnesota adults experiencing homelessness are working, many of them full-time, but still can’t afford housing.
- Research cited in The New York Times shows that youth from low-income families growing up in neighborhoods with mostly middle- and upper-income youth have far better life outcomes than similar young people living in neighborhoods with mostly low-income people.
Our personal experiences (from the authors of this commentary) help illustrate these statistics:
- On a cold November night, a mother, father and two young children entered a Culver’s on University Avenue to get warm. Both parents worked minimum wage jobs, caring for the children when they were not working.
They’d spent the previous three nights in an unheated, abandoned garage. Some of us spent four hours trying to find them temporary housing, but the only available shelter space required the mother to declare that the husband was abusive (he wasn’t). We and a church paid for three nights in a hotel. Then Ramsey County arranged temporary shelter in a motel. - One of us attended a local elementary public school while experiencing homelessness and living in a temporary shelter that wouldn’t allow the family to stay if both husband and wife were present. This separation caused long-lasting problems.
- While in kindergarten, that person was assigned to draw a picture of his home. Lacking one, the insensitive assignment produced shame and alienation.
Former Luther Seminary dorm that could be used, in part, for deeply affordable housing – photo by Joe Nathan
Reducing homelessness isn’t just humane: it saves money. Extensive research shows that children who experience homelessness are far more likely to drop out of school, abuse drugs and become involved in the criminal justice system. This produces far lower earnings for the individual and far greater expense for taxpayers via, for example, chemical abuse rehab and prison/jail expense.
On the other hand, providing permanent housing for low-income families can transform lives. One of us lived this, moving from homelessness to secure permanent housing, graduating from a St Paul Public School and St Paul College. He now directs a nationally respected organization.
Together we see historic opportunities at the large Luther Seminary and golf course sites. We urge:
- Making some new housing affordable for families earning 30% or less of the average medium income (AMI) in Ramsey County.
- Creating environmentally friendly, economical housing by using solar roof panels on most units.
- Repurposing the planned condo at the Luther site into rental units for mixed income levels
- Working with St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her, St. Paul City Council member Molly Coleman and Ramsey County Commissioner Garrison McMurtrey to promote inclusionary zoning and leveraging county and state funding programs to help create rental and ownership options for low- and moderate-income families.
Providing permanent housing for children, youth and families helps all of us.
Elaine Tarone is a MICAH & project home volunteer. Khalique Rogers is executive director of Catalyst for Systems Change. Joe Nathan, is founder and former director of the Center for School Change.