Carla Godwin - Like a Rock

Carla Godwin, Peris Foundation Executive Director. Photo by Tracy Nordstrom

Political theorist and philosopher Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527) warned of the difficulty of attempting to “initiate a new order of things.” The change agent in Machiavelli was “not interested in preserving the status quo,” fiercely affirming: “I want to overthrow it.” The pragmatist in Machiavelli recognized that while an inventive course of action is tricky, even dangerous, one should “act decisively” and “develop the strength to do bold things.”

Carla Godwin serves bold for breakfast. As Executive Director of the Peris Foundation, Carla ushers in a modern-day Renaissance in affordable and accessible housing in Minneapolis. Peris Hill Apartments is the Peris Foundation’s inaugural project in community, and it offers refuge and promise to a particularly vulnerable and underserved population: young adults aging out of foster care.

Carla Godwin at Peris Hill Apartments. Photo by Tracy Nordstrom

Foster care, at its core, serves humans in transition. Hennepin County currently has 1,182 children in its care who have been removed from their home lives. Transition is not easy, especially when following or accompanied by trauma. What happens when young people reach the age when they are no longer cared for within “the system” and may lack skills and a network to support their fledging into the world?

“We have been building systems with the best of intentions, and they don’t always serve humans,” Carla says of her impulse to activate change. She notes that the end point in foster care can mark the beginning of crushing housing, financial, social, and self-worth challenges. At the Peris Foundation, Carla leads an inspired team to innovate and evaluate what works in transitioning individuals from foster care to independence and beyond. She is a woman propelled by inquiry: What barriers can we lower to bring more young people into secure housing? What partners can lead the way? What does a successful “on ramp to adulthood” look like? How does it feel? A young person about to make a home at Peris Hill Apartments might ask: What color are the pillows? Where will I do laundry? Can I bring my child? Will I be safe?

Bike racks at Peris Hill Apartments.jpeg

Home is a highly personal concept to Carla. “As a parent,” she says, warming with a smile, “my kids are my first thought of home. Their presence is essential. They motivate me to create a place that feels grounded and supportive for them, from which they can go and explore.”

Peris Hill is not only new construction (opening to residents in November of 2021), but also a new paradigm of co-creation. Carla and her team have included young people in designing the space that is built for them. Peris Foundation Board Member, 25-year-old Lucina Kayee – a graduate of the foster care system herself – explains Peris Hill’s imperative: “We are making sure that the most marginalized of the demographic are the ones behind the scenes, actually designing everything.” To assert the youth perspective, for example, Peris Hill’s Youth Advisory Council advised against pre-furnishing apartments, instead providing funds for residents to furnish their space their way. A simple gesture, perhaps; Carla insists it is an important step toward independence for these young adults, as it grants them material ownership and an opportunity “to make their home reflective of their personhood.”

Lucina Kayee, Peris Foundation Board Member. Photo by Sarah Whiting

Why is a revolution in housing so critical for 18-to-21-year-olds aging out of the foster care? Carla credits Denise Graves for amplifying the urgency here in the Twin Cities. Denise is a long-time youth volunteer and Guardian Ad Litem in Hennepin County; her family foundation, The Graves Foundation, supports both the Peris Foundation and the Peris Hill Apartments. In her advocacy work, Denise noticed that “children aging out of foster care just disappeared.” Sadly, those who “disappear” from the system of care end up somewhere, and the statistics are grim. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children reports that many foster kids leave care and never graduate from high school, go to college, or get a degree. That makes financial independence and self-sufficiency hard to achieve. Too many fall victim to exploitation or sex traffickers as they struggle to survive with few safety nets or alternatives. And the pain and financial burden is felt beyond individuals. A 2019 report by the Annie E. Casey Foundation calculated that if young people aging out of foster care had access to the same housing, education, mental health, and employment opportunities as other youth, the US taxpayer would save $4.1 billion.

Peris Hill confronts those deficits and provides housing amenities not normally accessible to this vulnerable population. Choosing the right neighborhood was an important first step. “Peris Hill was built in Lowry Hill intentionally,” Carla says, noting the abundance of "transportation, parks, food, art, and trails” nearby. The Lowry Hill Neighborhood – not a traditional epicenter of low-income housing or social services – offers multiple advantages to the aging-out population, and to others in need of safe and desirable housing. “The Twin Cities are in an affordability crisis,” Carla notes, emphasizing that housing shortages are felt across demographics. Peris Hill contains 45 efficiency and one-bedroom homes: 15 apartments specifically for youth aging out of foster care, and all 15 units allow youth who have children (a rarely-offered and much-needed feature); and 30 “work force housing” units for adult residents who qualify for rent-restricted leases. This “mixed tenant” approach should engender familiarity, friendships, and even mentor relationships among residents, across ages and life experiences. While the aging-out youth will reside exclusively on the 2nd floor (a design to assure their physical safety and comfort), the common areas of the four-story building will accommodate socializing, learning, and opportunities for joy.

Art and bright windows in Peris Hill Apartments communal kitchen / dining space. Photo by Tracy Nordstrom

A big question compels Carla in this pilot project: What is the value-add to residents and society of providing a well-designed building, in a well-resourced neighborhood, with supportive services on-site? It is an entirely new approach for aging-out foster care assistance and independence in the Twin Cities: Peris Hill Apartments’ bright face opens onto bustling Hennepin Avenue; the first floor boasts large windows; urban murals and fresh art; a lending library with culturally diverse books to borrow; a staffed welcome desk; comfortable and colorful furnishings; work and study areas; and a sparkling communal kitchen that invites residents to mingle and build community. Carla’s intention to create “spaces that are both peaceful and energizing” is evident all around. Analysis will determine, as she believes, if “aesthetics impact wellbeing.”

Peris Hill Apartments. Photo by Dan Collison

Innovative programming within the space will be measured as well. Peris Hill’s rent structure affords aging-out residents to spend no more than 30% of the Area’s Median Income (AMI) on rent, allowing them to save and budget for their futures. The Link, a local nonprofit partner specializing in youth services and social justice has a first-floor office at Peris Hill, open 24/7, and provides basic needs support, skills-based learning, crisis intervention, and individualized case management to help the building’s young adults achieve personal goals and maintain their housing stability. The Link joins another Peris Foundation partner, The Improve Group, and Peris Hill’s Advisory Youth Council, to help Carla gather and analyze data and information, iterate services, guide next steps, and tell the story of the Peris Hill approach.

Carla animating one of the many urban murals at Peris Hill Apartments. Photo by Tracy Nordstrom

A youth voice is spoken at Peris Hill Apartments and is its “vital heartbeat.” That pulse connects Carla to her own foundational experiences: “I was the kind of kid who made forts a lot, inside and outside, and I thought of those forts as places to put collections of rocks or flowers or whatever I loved at the moment.” The “love language” of place also evokes memory and meaning: Peris, of Greek origin, means “one who is rock-like and amazing”; in Persian mythology, Peris denotes “a bright and beautiful spirit who is first denied paradise and then is transformed.”

The Peris Hill Apartments invite a handful of young people who have experienced outsized instability and trauma in their short lives to co-create a place they love. Carla knows these young people, like her own children, deserve resources, beauty, agency, opportunity, and community as they transition into adulthood. She knows that young adults aging out of foster care will face what philosopher Machiavelli called the difficulties of “initiating a new order of things”; Carla promises – boldly - that when they do, they will have a cozy place to come home to.