A unique partnership between the Minnesota Department of Corrections and Access North has helped nearly 2,000 families continue to live independently in their homes.

Challenge Incarceration Program (CIP) participants from Minnesota Correctional Facility (MCF)-Willow River and MCF-Togo help create accessibility ramps for Access North.

The ramps are prebuilt in modules, comparable in size and structure to deck or dock sections. When a ramp needs to be installed, the build team can select the prebuilt modules of their choosing and take them to the homeowner’s residence. This method is efficient and cost effective.

“The time I spent at Access North was touching and moving due to the fact I was impacted by a similar organization in the Twin Cities that built a ramp for my grandmother which allowed her to continue to live in her home after a stroke,” said Damon Halliburton, a CIP participant in the ramp building program. “Thank you for allowing me the chance to donate some time at your warehouse.”

MCF-Willow River began working with Access North close to 20 years ago and MCF-Togo began participating in these builds in 2016.

Uncut lumber is transported to MCF-Willow River, where the modules are built. Some of the completed modules are transported back to Access North in Hibbing and added to their inventory. MCF-Togo participants are responsible for much of the loading and unloading of materials at the Access North location in Hibbing. They also build various sections and modules as they are needed, and when possible, help with the install or removal of ramps from homes.

“I have been leading work crews at Access North for a couple years now. But the partnership between the DOC and Access North goes back much further,” said Matt Stone, a Sergeant at MCF-Togo in the restorative justice program. “Having multiple sites like Willow River and Togo’s CIP working for the same nonprofit is the definition of restorative justice and a prime example of how we give back to the community.”

Stone continued, “Nonprofit work can be challenging. The budget is always tight. By having our work crews assist they can keep their overhead down and use all their funds to directly support their mission statement that is ‘Living My Life as I Choose.’ Our participants feel valued as they cut lumber, build wheelchair ramp modules, repair the building, and just help keep the warehouse orderly. Access North also treats our participants with a lot of respect as they fully understand our capabilities to get a lot of work done when we are there. This partnership helps hundreds of families stay living in their own homes by making them accessible to their needs.”

The CIP program’s relationship with Access North has helped Northeastern Minnesota families continue to live independently in their homes and creates a meaningful way for participants from CIP to give back to the community.