We have made a number of exciting changes to our shelter facility this year, and we aren’t done yet! Soon, 8 large batteries will be installed at the shelter to back up critical equipment in our facility in case of emergency. The list of equipment that will be “backed up” by this system includes furnaces, water heaters, refrigerators, freezers, internet, computers, as well as critical lights and outlets.

The backup batteries were funded by a contract through Hennepin County’s FORTIFY program. This new initiative was designed to increase the capacity of organizations, businesses, and people in Hennepin County to respond to and recover from impacts related to climate change.

We were honored to be among the first round of FORTIFY projects and are pleased that we will be better positioned to continue providing services and meeting basic needs in the event of a short-term or long-term power emergency.

Eventually, the batteries will tie into a solar energy array planned for installation in 2026.