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MISSING WOMAN: Remains officially identified PAGE 6A
‘TreeHouse is a life saver — saving families and their youth’ BY SARA MARIE MOORE VADNAIS HEIGHTS EDITOR
MAHTOMEDI — TreeHouse: a teen who was addicted to drugs now plans to be a youth minister; another is the first person in her family to attend college; one more doesn't starve or cut herself anymore. These are three stories of teens who have attended TreeHouse, a program for youth in Mahtomedi launched four years ago. Sabrina, a Mahtomedi senior PSEO student at Century
College has attended TreeHouse since her freshman year when a friend brought her to an activity. She had heard about TreeHouse in middle school, but didn't go. “In middle school, especially, I had problems with depression and anxiety because of home problems,” she said. The depression, caused by abuse, led to eating disorders and cutting, she said. After she came to TreeHouse, she learned how to better react to issues. “They teach you healthy coping mechanisms,” she said. “They teach you ways how to
handle it when you don't feel good.” TreeHouse also helped her with her faith, she said. When she was 16, a boyfriend who was an atheist and used drugs convinced her to use drugs and doubt her faith. TreeHouse, which offers both nonreligious and religious support to at-risk youth, explained the Bible to her, she said. “It helped me start believing in God again,” she remembered.
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Heidi Hall, right, a former teacher, has been the Mahtomedi TreeHouse area director for two years. She started as an associate when the location first opened in 2012. She is pictured with a teen next to the youth program’s Christmas tree.
SEE TREEHOUSE, PAGE 8A
County commissioner welcomes home heroes
Holiday ice time
BY SARA MARIE MOORE VADNAIS HEIGHTS EDITOR
PAUL DOLS | PRESS PUBLICATIONS
The rink that the Schafer family shoveled out on the surface of Bald Eagle Lake in White Bear Township was bustling with activity and skaters of all ages Friday afternoon, Dec. 30.
VADNAIS HEIGHTS — A “veterans village” under construction on the corner of Arcade Street and Garceau Lane is the dream of Ramsey County Commissioner Blake Huffman, who was inspired to start an affordable housing nonprofit after hearing a message from U2’s Bono at his church. When Huffman isn't busy doing what commissioners do, he spends his time finding homes for wounded veterans and victims of domestic violence. His affordable housing nonprofit, Journey Home, was founded in 2008. Over the last eight years, 39 houses have been dedicated to veterans and women coming out of domestic violence shelters across four metro counties, including homes in Shoreview, White Bear Lake, Circle Pines, Lexington and Linwood. Each night, 200 people have a better place to stay than they might have had otherwise. The “veterans village” in
Vadnais Heights is the city's first project and will consist of one single-family home and one duplex. Journey Home began as an outreach to survivors of domestic abuse and, several
“If you can have a healthy stable house, it makes all the difference in the world.” Dan Hanson Veteran years later, a veteran housing focus was added. Huffman noted that in his work with survivors of domestic abuse, many of them were either a veteran or had been abused by a veteran. Journey Home now has two prongs — Safe Journey Home and Veterans Journey Home. Huffman wanted to help women transition from life in SEE JOURNEY HOME, PAGE 9A
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