Like most of us, Greg Mure never thought he would be homeless. After struggling with a series of unexpected challenges in 2006, he found himself sleeping on a park bench in South Minneapolis with his belongings in bags. The next morning, when he awoke, he saw that his bags had been ripped open, and several men around the park were wearing his clothing. One of them, seeing his confusion, commented, “You haven’t been homeless before, have you?”

Taking him under his wing, this gentleman taught Greg some strategies for surviving on the streets. In addition to getting a hot meal with the gentleman, he found his way from the shelter to Alliance Housing and a room at 2011 Pillsbury. Seventeen years later, he has upgraded his accommodations, but he still calls his Alliance building home. Greg is the longest-continuing tenant in any Alliance building.

To this day, Greg still remembers the feeling of getting his key. He recalls the comfort he felt when he was able to plug in his phone, to take a shower, and wash his clothes. Having stable housing allowed him to piece his life back together. He was able to secure a job working security detail at the University of Minnesota. There, he wound up escorting Brett Favre to the press box, Queen Latifah to her dressing room, and Mick Jagger to the stage.

All those encounters, however exciting, paled in comparison to the pride he felt when he was able to buy a car. Greg uses the vehicle around town, but he also uses it as a food shelf volunteer. He drives boxes of food to neighborhood food shelves, and he gives rides to the people carrying those boxes back to their homes.

Not long after finding his place on Pillsbury, Greg was asked to serve on the Alliance Board because of his ability so share his lived experience related to our mission. While on the board, Greg thoughtfully presented tenant perspectives, even when it was difficult. Sharing his perspective pushed Alliance’s leadership to wrestle more thoughtfully with tricky issues like rent increases, eviction policies, and expansion plans. He respectfully informed board members of the impact that these changes would have on residents, while also understanding the need to chart a sustainable path for the organization. Greg has aspirations of buying his own building to donate to Alliance to create another opportunity for stable housing.

Today, Greg feels far from that day he woke up on a park bench in south Minneapolis. He takes great pride in his apartment, and in the work he has done to fix it up. The hallways are freshly painted. He upgraded the bathroom. He even found a place for his piano—he’s a self-taught pianist and plays with and for his neighbors. Alliance may have created the housing, but he has truly made it his home.

Written by Ben Olk, Board Member

Jerel Stimpel is one of our newest residents. The 28 year-old cook and photographer moved into his apartment earlier this spring and so far, he’s settling in nicely. When asked about his favorite part of the unit, he answers quickly: “The kitchen.” His favorite meal to cook? Southern comfort food, or a New York strip steak with all the sides. Every Sunday, he and his family gather for dinner. Now that he has his own place, he is looking forward to hosting family dinner soon.

Before finding a home with Alliance, Jerel was in a situation many of our residents are familiar with. After leaving a toxic relationship, Jerel found himself without a place to live and without the resources to secure one. He spent the year living almost entirely out of his car. “Where I was living was uninhabitable,” he says.

However, between paying off debt, building credit, keeping his car running, renting hotel rooms for freezing winter nights, and buying other necessities like food, Jerel had no money left for a security deposit to secure housing. “People are feeling some type of way, I was feeling down,” Jerel said. Dealing with the compounding trauma of the pandemic, police brutality, and homelessness took a toll on Jerel. Despite being unhoused, Jerel held down a job consistently throughout the year, working as a cook at local restaurants and catering companies. He also got involved with Creative MPLS, a multipurpose recording and photography studio, as a photographer and videographer.

Eventually, a Hennepin County case worker referred Jerel to Alliance. He met with an Alliance Property Manager who worked with him to understand the process of moving in—from knowing exactly how much to save for the security deposit to budgeting for rent. Working with a property manager who understood his situation made all the difference. Within a few months he was ready to move in. Soon after, Jerel’s brother, who had also been experiencing homelessness, was also able to move into the same building. For Jerel, having his brother live across the hall “[is] a reason to get up every day.”

Now that he is settled into his new home, Jerel plans to continue pursuing his two passions: cooking and photography. He will be continuing to work with Creative MPLS, setting up his own LLC, and selling his own food. When asked about what he wants to tell others about affordable housing and the work that Alliance does, Jerel says “It gets better, there is help.”

By Eva Schmidt, Executive Assistant