History
Over a century of service in the Twin Cities
Emma Norton Services has over 100 years of history serving the Twin Cities. The organization was founded in 1917 when a Minnesotan, Emma Norton, gave a gift to United Methodist Women to fund a program to support young women and girls in Minnesota. With her gift, the UMW created the “Methodist Home for Girls” to house young women traveling to the Twin Cities from rural Minnesota for work and education.
In 1967, the organization moved to its current location on Robert Street in Saint Paul, and became Emma Norton Residence. Much like the transformational housing Emma Norton Services now provides, the organization changed to meet the needs of the community. Over the next few decades, Emma Norton Residence served a variety of populations, including deaf students and families with loved ones in long-term care at Regions Hospital.
As Minnesota’s unhoused population grew in the 1990s, the organization was called again to change, and turned focus to helping homeless women who experienced mental health or chemical dependency challenges. With the addition of Emma’s Place in 2002, Emma Norton expanded services to families as well.
Emma Norton Services has continued to grow to help more people in need. In the past decade, the organization has expanded to include Peer Support Specialists and the Scattered-Site Housing Program, which supports families and individuals moving into independent apartment living in Ramsey County. With the addition of these services, Emma Norton now serves over 300 people annually, including children and adults of all genders.
Today, Emma Norton is a radically compassionate and inclusive organization, using evidence-based policies such as harm-reduction and eliminating length-of-stay restrictions. We meet clients where they are and walk with them on their journey of recovery.
Timeline—100 Years
1917: Methodist Home for Girls Founded
Founded through a gift from Mrs. Emma Norton to the United Methodist Women (UMW), the home became a National Mission and provided safe and affordable housing for women coming from rural Minnesota to the Twin Cities for work or school.
1967: Emma Norton Residence Opens
The organization moved to a new residence on Robert Street North in Saint Paul, and rebranded to Emma Norton Residence. This building provided dormitory-style housing for 50 women in either double or single rooms.
1970s to ’80s: Program Changes Begin
The Residence continued to support women in need, while also running a variety of programs to house people with different unmet housing needs, such as deaf students and families with loved ones in long-term care at Regions Hospital.
1990s: Homelessness on the Rise for Women
In the early 1990s, our focus changed to serving homeless women. Identified by Ramsey County originally as a shelter, we added case management services to specialize in serving women who experienced mental health or chemical dependency challenges.
2002: Emma’s Place Opens in Maplewood
The organization opened it’s second location, this one in Maplewood to provide affordable, supportive housing for homeless single-parent families with three or more children. With this, the organization officially became Emma Norton Services.
2015: Housing First and Harm Reduction
Emma Norton embraced the above evidenced-based practices—recognizing the critical importance of a stable place to live, eliminating restrictions on length of stay, and meeting clients where they are at on their own journey of recovery.
2017: New Scattered-Site Housing Program
Emma Norton launched this new program for individuals and families who feel ready to move to a higher level of independence in the community. Initially created to help transition clients from our residences into private apartments, this program now also moves people directly from homelessness into apartments.
April 2024: Restoring Waters Opens
After over 50 years at Emma Norton Residence, that building was closed, replaced by Restoring Waters. Created with trauma-informed design, this building has 60 private units for individuals and small families, a variety of programming and community spaces, and 24/7 on-site staff. It also serves as the new organizational headquarters.
October 2024: The Living Room Opens
With funding from Medica, MDHS, and Ramsey County, we opened the Living Room, a completely free walk-in mental health service staffed by Peer Support Specialists. Providing support for all levels of mental health challenges from everyday stress to crisis management, the Living Room saw nearly 500 visits in it’s first year.
Emma Norton Today
Emma Norton has grown from a single dorm for 20 young women in the early 1900s to a multi-location supportive sanctuary. We support healing and personal growth for individuals and families in recovery from homelessness, with mental health services and supports integrated throughout all programs and activities.
The Future: Our Vision
Emma Norton Services will be operating at a scale that brings a full array of resources to the individuals and families we serve. Housing and services will be exemplary, offered in partnership with key community institutions and will extend beyond our campuses.
