Community invited to open house on Aug. 25
Individuals and families looking for employment and early child education solutions can find both, and more, at a new community resource center in Virginia. The center is an enterprise between Arrowhead Economic Opportunity Agency, the Housing & Redevelopment Authority of Virginia and St. Louis County.
The center will be home to AEOA’s Virginia Infant & Toddler Center, operated by Arrowhead Head Start, as well as an employment and training office, St. Louis County health services and a public access computer lab.
An open house will be held on Tuesday, Aug. 25 from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. at 442 Pine Mill Court. Entry to the center is through Door 8 near the playground. Community members are invited to visit the site and enjoy a barbecue-style lunch at no cost.
“The Housing & Redevelopment Authority of Virginia, MN is excited for this opportunity to partner with AEOA and St. Louis County at our Pine Mill Court site,” said Dana Hiltunen, Executive Director of Virginia HRA and Eveleth HRA. “This is a great example of how agencies can work together to provide much needed early childhood and community services in the City of Virginia.”
St. Louis County Public Health Division will provide education on topics related to health, nutrition, healthy lifestyles, communicable disease prevention, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), and specific STD testing twice a month.
The public access computer lab boasts 12 individual work stations, three printers and a computer set up as a legal aid kiosk. The lab is open to the public and features high-speed broadband internet.
An AEOA Employment & Training office is located next door to the computer lab where staff are available to assist with job search, resume help and adult basic education. The agency offers career and skill assessments, classroom and on-the-job training, interview techniques, financial counseling and computer training. The computer lab has USB drives available upon request for visitors to preserve their resumes, cover letters and work search documentation.
Career counselors have experience working with specialized programs including Dislocated Worker, Minnesota Family Resiliency Partnership, Transitional Training, self-employment, entrepreneurs, military members, age 55 and older career services, offender reentry services and veteran services.
Additionally, site staff can make referrals to AEOA for other needs including housing help, energy assistance, public transportation, senior services and nutrition needs.
Virginia Infant & Toddler Center began educating toddlers on Monday, Aug. 3 with a soft opening. Infants will be starting in the coming weeks. The infant space has a separate sleeping area with eight cribs, a kitchen and dining area and activity room. Between the toddler and infant rooms is a key-fob secured parent drop-off and pick-up zone which features lockers for little ones’ coats and gear, a space for car seats and a washer and dryer. The toddler room has two play areas, a story time space, nap cots and its own kitchen with tables and chairs for mealtimes.
Pine Mill Court is a Housing & Redevelopment Authority of Virginia property. The Virginia HRA owns and operates 442 apartments in the City of Virginia and administers over 500 rental assistance vouchers in northern St. Louis County. Through these programs, the HRA houses over 1,500 people. Tenants and voucher holders represent the entire continuum of people living in HRA communities from families with small children to college students and seniors. www.vhra.org.
This collaborative project is partially funded with a grant from the Minnesota Department of Education using federal funding. The center is a multi-purpose community revitalization endeavor aimed at connecting the community through promoting work, education and health monitoring requirements.