Message from Kelly Matter, President & CEO

“Avivo is HERE” embodies how Avivo stood strong and innovated in a year overwhelmed by a global pandemic and chaos surrounding the murder of George Floyd. These circumstances increased isolation and unemployment, triggered addiction and mental health concerns, and gave face to homelessness. Avivo was HERE, standing strong beside community members who needed help the most.

When Minnesota shut down last March, closing was not an option for Avivo. As an essential service provider, we continued to support Avivo participants and mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

• We pivoted to telehealth services and reimagined site-based mental health supports to be offered in the community.
• We were one of the few providers to continue to provide much-needed, in-person and COVID-19 aware treatment services.
• We advanced online and hybrid teaching environments for the Avivo Institute of Career & Technical Education.
• Our employment counselors served participants remotely. They even helped connect families to food and groceries and provided coaches to support families with school children who were distance learning.

Avivo was HERE supporting nearly 13,000 individuals as they navigated the stress of 2020!

We saw an alarming increase in people experiencing unsheltered homelessness. At one point, nearly 1,600 individuals were experiencing homelessness and living in encampments and other places not meant for human habitation. With the support of amazing partners, Avivo innovated by moving entire homeless encampments into hotels to connect people to paths to permanent housing. Avivo Village, the first-ever indoor village of 100 personal tiny homes, also began construction and received its first 16 residents before the end of the year. All of this was made possible by the hard work of housed and unhoused community members and advocates; city, county, and state partners and funders; social service partners; and the generosity of corporations, foundations, individuals, and philanthropic groups. Across Avivo’s programs focused on ending homelessness, we supported 885 individuals in obtaining or keeping permanent supportive housing!

Avivo remained fiscally strong thanks to our leadership teams and the generous outpouring of funders and donors! We were able to purchase three apartment buildings we leased previously to preserve 50 apartment homes as transitional recovery housing and affordable apartments. We secured bonding support to start planning for capital improvements and expansion. Our innovative and responsible use of unique COVID-19 funding helped us transform service delivery and continue to progress on our strategic plan. 

We remain so grateful for your collaboration and support. Because of you, Avivo is HERE. Thank you for standing with us and coming alongside the individuals and families we serve. Together, we will ensure everyone has the chance to live well and work well, today and in the future.

With gratitude,

Kelly Matter
President & CEO