History
35 years of helping people help themselves
1972
PPL was founded by a group of volunteers concerned with the diminishing quality of housing stock in the inner city neighborhoods of Minneapolis. Not long after, Joe Selvaggio was named director and an office was set up in a YWCA. Early activities included renovating old homes, teaching construction skills, and operating the Tool Lending Library.
Housing programs and opportunities available at the time included $1 houses purchased from HUD, which PPL renovated and sold to low-income buyers. But, as the decade closed, it became clear that not everyone desires or is in a position to be a homeowner and PPL began building a rental housing portfolio in Minneapolis and St. Paul.
1980s
Helping people achieve self-sufficiency becomes central to PPL’s Mission.
Recognizing that families and individuals must sometimes overcome complex issues in order to maintain stable housing, PPL established the Self-Sufficiency Program in 1986 to provide PPL residents with links to social services. A natural outgrowth of connecting with families proved to be helping children get a strong foothold in the world and in school. And, as welfare programs changed, adults needed more assistance with employment issues. These and other services are now offered through PPL.
PPL began establishing businesses to function as self-sustaining job-training venues. The PPL General Store, on Chicago and Franklin avenues, was the anchor tenant of PPL-developed Chicago Crossings Mall for several years and closed in 1997. PPL Industries was started up in 1983 and, in 1986, PPL SHOP opened its door, both continue to offer on-the-job experience to hard-to-employ adults.
1990s
PPL completed major ownership and rental projects representing more than $25 million of investment.
Classroom Training and employer partnerships were established at this time that continue to help adults gain well-paying jobs.
As more low-income families moved into first ring suburbs, PPL expanded its reach to provide affordable housing in Bloomington, New Hope, Robbinsdale, and St. Louis Park. The agceny also sharpened its focus is on creating supportive housing, to help put an end to homelessness.
In 1997, Joe Selvaggio retired as Executive Director, passing the torch to Steve Cramer.
2000s
By 2000, PPL operated out of five cramped, scattered and out-dated facilities. In 2006, a successful five-year capital campaign came to a close; it allowed for the purchase of a new PPL Industries building and the refurbishing of two buildings in the Phillips neighborhood: The PPL Service Center and the technically sophisticated PPL Emma B. Howe Learning Center. These award-winning, environments serve as a platform for organizational enhancements that would not have been possible before.
PPL merged with Loring Nicollet-Bethlehem Community Centers (LNB) in 2008. LNB operated high quality schools, education, and employment programs, offering concrete and immediate opportunities for PPL to implement key elements of the Strategic Plan it had adopted in 2007 – which called for broadening and deepening services. The new organization continues to be known as Project for Pride in Living, Inc., and Loring Nicollet and Bethlehem community centers retain the strong community identities they developed over 50 years of operation. See more history on LNB
Founded 1972, PPL has spent more than 35 years helping lower-income families develop the tools they need to achieve self-sufficiency.
Today we are poised for a future that is stronger and more vital than ever as we seek to achieve our mission: to work with lower-income individuals and families to achieve greater self-sufficiency through housing, employment training, support services and education.