Oak Hill cuts ribbon on resource collaboration
There was laughter and applause everywhere after Mike Keller, front left, and Julie Rethemeier cut the ribbon at Oak Hill Community Center in Owatonna. The facility, once home to the Owatonna Clinic, will be a shared site for service agencies to support those in need of assistance in housing, employment, health and other areas. Staff photo by Kay Fate
The former medical facility at 134 Southview St. in Owatonna will once again be home to a healing environment – and it’s just getting started.
Oak Hill Community Connections has officially kicked off the start of its construction to turn the building into a collaborative hub where folks facing instability can find services of all kinds.
The OHCC Board of Directors and city leaders gathered for a ribbon cutting June 26.
Once renovations are complete, the facility will host partnering service agencies that offer housing solutions, employment assistance, medical support – including dental and behavioral health – as well as wrap-around services to individuals and families in need.
“What you’ll note … is that we worked really hard to design a space that’s going to stand the test of time,” Gregg Draeger, treasurer of the board, said of the plans that were displayed in the lobby. “Every square foot reflects our dedication to making this space a community asset for many, many years to come.”
The event served as an invitation to the entire community to participate, he said.
The organization has raised more than half of the estimated $4 million cost of the renovation project through grants, foundations, individual and business donations.
Draeger thanked those donors, as well as the campaign steering committee for their “passion, resilience and hard work that made this dream become a reality.”
Now it’s time for the public phase of the fundraising.
“This space is going to be used by our most vulnerable neighbors,” he said, “and we’ve got a multidisciplinary group of agencies that are going to serve people in our community that are on the margins.”
Some of the agencies, such as Lighthouse of Southern MN, which addresses homelessness, and HealthFinders Collaborative, which provides accessible and affordable health care, will base their operations at the facility.
When Rachel’s Light relocates to OHCC, it will double its housing capacity, with increased shelter spaces for women and children, and expand its mission to include separate family shelter spaces – allowing families to remain intact.
Other partners will have office space in the building, serving as a main location for their work.
Streamlining access to services will benefit the agencies – as well as the people they support – by working together to eliminate redundancies and finding efficient solutions just down the hall.
“With multiple resources in one location, (those seeking assistance) can focus on improving their lives, rather than spend so much time and energy just trying to navigate the system,” Matt Kottke, a board member, has said of the project.
In addition to Lighthouse of Southern MN and HealthFinders Collaborative, other partners include Community Pathways of Steele County, Hospitality House and South Central Human Relations Center.
Oak Hill Community Connections expects to open this fall.
You can help:
To donate, visit oakhillcc.care/campaign or contact Draeger at greggdraeger@gmail.com