We DID It!
We ARE Open!! The Ribbon Cutting at our Expanded Emergency Housing to Support the Families of Burn Survivors and First Responders was amazing!
MISSION
Firefighters For Healing supports burn survivor patients & helps firefighters and first responders pivot after a line of duty injury or medical diagnosis. There are often items and resources that hospitals cannot provide or do not qualify for insurance reimbursement. In addition, many families may already have been struggling financially, emotionally, or physically prior to the burn trauma that exasperates the strain. The support and services provided by Firefighters For Healing helps to keep these families from reaching the point of total devastation. Qualifying families stay for FREE in emergency housing.
EMERGENCY HOUSING
Firefighters For Healing, a Minneapolis based nonprofit started by a second generation firefighter in 2010 opens a Transitional Healing Center. These 12 “home-away-from-home” suites are for the families of burn survivors or firefighters/first responders who are being cared for at the Hennepin Healthcare Burn Center and other metro hospitals.
“When a first responder has a medical diagnosis or a child or adult has sustained burn trauma, the family is forced into weeks or months of unique challenges. Our Transitional Healing Center will provide 24/7 relief for families by providing emergency housing and a wide range of support,” said Firefighters For Healing Founder & Executive Director Jake LaFerriere. “I know firsthand the power of having family close by when you’re recovering in the hospital. We are thankful for the many community partners who helped to plan for, fund and furnish this space for our families. There isn’t anyone supporting burn survivor families in this way in the Midwest.”
“Patients who have survived burn trauma have unique challenges and often a very lengthy recovery. Their families are often displaced for weeks, if not months. When any firefighter from Minnesota, Wisconsin or the Dakotas is sidelined by a line of duty injury or a medical diagnosis like cancer, heart issues or PTSD, we are here to provide relief and support. Firefighters For Healing works with community partners to meet the physical, emotional and financial needs of patients and their families.” said Founder Jake LaFerriere. “We show up with compassion, understanding and the ability to take action.”
LOCATION
Moment Apartments is a brand new 10-story mixed-use development located at 650 Portland Avenue South in which the Firefighters For Healing Transitional Healing Center is 15,000 square feet on the second floor. We are skyway-connected with direct access to downtown amenities. Moment includes 222 luxury smart home apartments ranging from efficient 496 SF studios to spacious Penthouses with more than 1700 SF, an expansive list of building amenities, and nearly 30,000 SF of commercial space including direct access to a future Starbucks. Moment’s location is the nexus between urban activity and natural reprieve with sweeping views of downtown Minneapolis and a short walk to U.S. Bank Stadium, The Commons Park, Gold Medal Park, Mill District riverfront, and iconic Stone Arch Bridge. Visit their website to learn more about Moment Apartments, momentmpls.com
FEATURES
• 12 one bedroom (fully furnished) suites complete with in-suite laundry and kitchen
• Expansive outdoor terrace patio with dining and seating options
• Community art, including a multi wall mural by www.adamturman.com
• The Hennepin Healthcare Living Room complete with a reclaimed wooden table
• A spirited, youth-focused “Joy Room” created by Joy Collaborative and funded by Affinity Plus Federal Credit Union
• 5 Firefighters For Healing offices and 3 additional offices that can be rented by outside nonprofits supporting burn survivors and first responder families
• The Moment building will be a mix of residential, commercial and nonprofit housing
• The location is one block from the Hennepin Healthcare Burn Center
• Families who qualify for emergency housing are immediate family of a burn survivor or first responder, who is from/lives in Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, South Dakota, or has been transported to the level 1 trauma at Hennepin Healthcare or Region’s hospital
• There is no limit to the amount of time that families can utilize housing except that the patient needs to be in hospital or in outpatient treatment and they need to abide by the Code of Conduct
• This emergency housing offers not only a respite for families dealing with a traumatic situation, but significant financial relief
While the Healing Center is new, the foundation is not.
Firefighters For Healing was established
in 2010 after our Founder Jake LaFerriere, a second generation firefighter,
survived a backdraft explosion that forced him into retirement.
