Agate Housing and Services and Trellis Celebrate Grand Opening of The Valiance: 50 Affordable Apartment Homes and 54 Shelter Beds for Women Experiencing Homelessness
Minneapolis, MN — October 10, 2025 | On October 9, Agate Housing and Services and Trellis celebrated the grand opening of The Valiance in Minneapolis’s Longfellow neighborhood. This innovative facility addresses the critical shortage of shelter beds and affordable housing in the Twin Cities.
Two Programs, One Mission
The Valiance houses two complementary programs. The first two floors provide The Shelter at The Valiance (2810 27th Avenue South), operated by Agate, offering 54 shelter beds for women experiencing homelessness. The top two floors contain Valiance Apartments (2806 27th Avenue South), operated by Trellis, with 50 affordable apartment homes for singles.
The Shelter
The Shelter at The Valiance operates 24 hours daily, providing temporary shelter that leads to permanent housing. Designed for and with input from people experiencing homelessness, it offers dignified, purpose-built space with a unique sleeping suite design—a stark departure from typical shelter settings.
This property adds crucial new beds to the Twin Cities’ shelter system. While debate over encampments escalates, the reality remains: there aren’t enough shelter beds for people living unsheltered in our community.
Thanks to Hennepin County funding, the shelter will provide eight additional overnight emergency beds from November through April during the cold winter months.
“Recently, I’ve been disheartened that public conversation about homelessness has taken such a harsh and frightening turn,” shared Kyle Hanson, Agate’s Executive Director. “This project is proof that we can still come together and do something to make a difference. This is a tangible offering of hope and human dignity for those facing homelessness.”
The Apartments
Valiance Apartments offers 50 new affordable homes designed with input from people with lived experience of homelessness. The mix includes efficiency, one-bedroom, and innovative community suite apartments—permanent homes with shared kitchen and community spaces designed to support the transition out of homelessness. Rents range from $734 to $1,257.
Critical Need
The Valiance opens at a pivotal moment. In 2024 alone, more than 6,000 people in Hennepin County experienced homelessness, and many shelters operate at full capacity. The Valiance is expected to serve hundreds of neighbors annually in a transit-accessible neighborhood.
Over 300 community members attended the October 9 grand opening celebration, which featured facility tours and remarks from leadership and a former Agate shelter resident.
Carolyn, the former shelter resident, shared, “The first morning I woke up in the shelter, I knew I was safe and wanted to work hard to move out of the shelter. It took days, weeks, months. It took time! And I was impatient and wanted to give up. But now I have my own apartment. I can rest and relax and my grandchildren can visit.”
The apartments are leasing now, and the shelter opens in early November.
This $25 million project was made possible through support from an anonymous donor who purchased the land, along with the City of Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Metropolitan Council, Minneapolis Public Housing Authority, Minnesota Department of Human Services, Minnesota Housing Finance Agency, National Equity Fund, State of Minnesota, and many community donors and partners.
For more information: Anna Cisewski at anna.cisewski@agatemn.org / 612-767-4448 or visit agatemn.org/valiance.
About Agate Housing and Services
Agate Housing and Services is on the front lines of the fight against homelessness, working across the entire spectrum of housing instability – from the unsheltered homeless to the housed and at risk of homelessness. Since the 1950s, Agate has been providing services to the most vulnerable populations in the Twin Cities. In 2021, House of Charity and St. Stephen’s Human Services merged to create Agate Housing and Services. Each year, Agate serves approximately 6,000 people, helping neighbors find safety, stability, and hope. Learn more at www.agatemn.org.
About Trellis
Trellis provides stability for people and communities as a nonprofit developer, manager, and owner of affordable housing. Trellis operates 50 properties, totaling 4,500 units of housing, located primarily in the Twin Cities. Trellis was founded in 1991 on the belief that long-term nonprofit ownership is the best way to sustain high quality affordable housing. Together, we can cultivate the stability that people and communities need to flourish. Learn more at www.trellismn.org.
Contact:
Anna Cisewski
Communications Manager
612-254-1391
anna.cisewski@agatemn.org
