Brainerd’s Bridge on 7th Shelter Hosts Over 100 Guests During Its 1st Summer

The Bridge on 7th Overnight Shelter in Brainerd, run by non-profit organization Bridges of Hope, was open for the first time this summer after being approved by the Brainerd City Council earlier this year to operate year-round.

From May 1 to July 31, the shelter saw 111 guests, with 86 of them leaving the shelter’s program and 25 still currently enrolled.

“One of the biggest things about our shelter, as much as we’re here to help, [is that] this is not a place to live,” emphasized Bridge on 7th Operations Manager Bill Wear. “It’s just a bump in the road. So we’re really, really focusing on how we can help people get out of our shelter as soon as possible into places where they need to go, whether that be treatment, their own house, getting reconnected with their family, friends, that kind of thing.”

Guests before staying at the shelter signed an agreement to participate in a pathway plan that keeps them connected with community resources.

“One of the biggest areas I’ve realized that we need to focus on for shelter is helping our guests feel connected to our community,” Wear added. “With us being an overnight shelter only, it’s very hard for us to get them in touch with resources while they’re here. And when we focus on their mental well-being and they’re connected, they hit the ground running.”

One thing staff monitored over the summer was whether the year-round operations would lead to longer stays at the shelter. Of those who stayed at the shelter this past summer, 51 of them were there for a week or less, with the rest staying for a length of time ranging from a week to two months. The largest number of guests—an estimated 63%—were from Crow Wing County.

“I think it’s really showing that, you know, we are just kind of a temporary stop for a lot of guests, giving them a safe, warm place to sleep while [they] get connected to other resources and onto a path of stability,” said Bridges of Hope Program Manager Samantha Barron. “We have great relationships with a lot of community agencies, I think just really focusing on solidifying those partnerships so we can have a better impact and really help our guests at the shelter.”

Shelter officials want to thank the community for helping them support more than 500 individuals since the founding of the shelter in 2021. The facility is able to operate year-round through partnerships with local organizations like Sharing Bread Soup Kitchen, Lighthouse Beginnings, and My Neighbor To Love Coalition.