Churches United bids farewell to housing director after 14 years

Ginny Stoe has pretty much done it all, and her experience gives her important insights into homelessness and the history of Churches United

Former Churches United Housing Director Ginny Stoe

After 14 incredible years of serving her neighbors, Churches United Housing Director Ginny Stoe is departing to pursue new career opportunities. The good news? She’ll still be in the community helping those in need, and she shared a little bit of her vast knowledge and experience before she left!

Stoe got her start at Churches United 14 years ago as an intern at the recommendation of a friend while attending Minnesota State University – Moorhead, “and the rest is kind of history.”

Those first few days at Micah’s Mission emergency shelter came with an adjustment period and feelings of doubt.

“I was very young and naïve,” Stoe said. “I came from a very middle-class family. So I really had wondered, what did I get myself into?”

Staff and community members reassured her she could do it, so long as she was authentic and along for the journey, wherever it took her. And with those assurances, she found her footing and the confidence to keep going.

She wore many hats during her time, tackling nearly every position Churches United has to offer. After her internship, she became a shelter advocate, then eventually a case manager and on to supportive services and then landed in her final role as housing director this August.

The different roles have each allowed her to work closely with community members at various stages in finding housing. As an advocate, she worked with people needing immediate emergency shelter. As a case manager, she helped people find and apply for housing. As housing director, she helped people transition into and maintain housing.

Those experiences have given her unique insights into homelessness and the human spirit. Among the most moving things she’s seen is people’s resilience in the face of tremendous hardship.

“They could give up, but they don’t,” she said.

Homelessness looks much different today than it did when she started. Those experiencing homelessness are skewing older, and the opioid epidemic contributed immensely to homelessness and the complexities of getting people housed.

Former Churches United Housing Director Ginny Stoe speaks at a public panel about homelessness at New Life Center in November 2025.

Churches United itself has changed in the near decade and a half she was with the organization. When she started, she said the emergency shelter had a high barrier to entry, and over the years, those barriers were chipped away with the goal of helping more people, using evidence-based practice as the guiding light.

“We really did some reflection and realized we were really missing the boat on some of our neighbors,” Stoe said. “You weren’t able to be under the influence of anything, so we were turning away people even if they were blowing a .04 (% blood alcohol content), under the legal limit, they were still being asked to leave. That was something that really stirred something in me … we were turning people away that weren’t causing any issues.”

Changes of that magnitude don’t come without challenges, but that’s part of what kept Stoe with Churches United for so many years, along with the variety of the work.

“Every day is different. I need something like that, a challenge, along with serving our neighbors. Mix those ingredients together, and it’s been a beautiful thing for the last 14 years,” Stoe said, noting she also appreciates Churches United’s comprehensive approach to helping community members.

Among the greatest changes was Churches United’s decision to build housing. Bright Sky Apartments was completed in 2018, while Silver Linings Apartments was completed this summer and welcomed its first tenants in July.

Stoe has gotten to know many of the complexes’ residents over the years and has seen firsthand the transformational impact of stable housing.

Ginny Stoe, at right, during the “Throw Some Good Around” event in September 2025.

“It’s been fun because since Bright Sky (Apartments) opened, we have a lot of individuals that are still there,” she said. “So to watch them age in place has been a beautiful thing. Watching people triumph – getting their children back, getting steady jobs, watching people hold their jobs for years – it’s a really rewarding thing to watch people just blossom.”

Another aspect of stable housing is allowing people to die with dignity, passing away in their homes rather than outside or in a shelter.

Several years ago, a Bright Sky tenant died, and no one claimed their body. Churches United put on a funeral and buried the resident. That experience has stuck with Stoe.

“That was really a moving moment that, at the end of the day, no one falls through the cracks. Churches United is going to be there to help our community … I think it’s a really beautiful thing,” she said.

Even in 2024, when Churches United was faced with the prospect of shuttering, Stoe weathered the storm. The calculus was simple for her.

“A core group of us were committed to staying … whether we had to close our doors or we were able to continue on, we were able to be there to be some stability for people,” she said.

It was a terrifying time for everyone. Staff were meeting daily, drafting plans and deciding on next steps should Churches United fold. But the community – as well as Bright Sky tenants – wrapped their arms around Churches United and helped see it through.

“The easy way would have been to say, ‘You know what, we’re done, we’re closing our doors, it’s been a great run,’” Stoe reflected. “But I am just committed to our tenants, our guests, our clients. You have hundreds of people looking at you and wondering what’s next, so to be that steady presence … we were able to do that for our guests and also for our employees, too, but the guests were the center of everything.”

Churches United CEO Pastor Devlyn Brooks praised Stoe for her steadfast commitment to her neighbors and wished her well as she moves on to her next adventure.

"Ginny has been the heart and soul of Churches United for many years,” Brooks said. “Her extensive experience, expertise and dedication have shaped what this agency is, and will be moving forward. And her legacy here will be forever etched into our DNA. No agency is comprised of one person, but one person can certainly impact the direction of an agency. And Ginny has helped us chart a very successful future."

As Stoe steps into a new role serving her neighbors, she offered advice to anyone interested in following in her footsteps.

“The people we serve are the people who are most knowledgeable of what they need. Not walking into situations saying, ‘Oh, I’m going to fix this.’ Make sure you’re walking in and hearing people. Listening rather than talking about all the solutions that you could have.”