St. Cloud’s OIF Dream Center Raises $130,000 to Replace Crumbling 1917 Stucco

(KNSI) – A St. Cloud nonprofit that helps men rebuild their lives after prison, addiction and other struggles has raised the $130,000 it needed to fix the crumbling outside of its 109-year-old building.

Overcomers International Fellowship, known as the OIF Dream Center, will use the money to tear off the original 1917 stucco on its building at 529 16th Avenue North and replace it with new insulation and siding. Minnesota Home Improvements of St. Joseph will start the work in November.

Founder and leader Pastor Michael Laidlaw says the stucco had deteriorated so badly it was starting to threaten the center’s ability to provide housing and services. He credits the generosity of the city, a local foundation and dozens of donors with allowing the Dream Center to keep helping men get back on their feet.

The biggest piece of the money, $50,000, came from federal Community Development Block Grant funds the St. Cloud City Council approved last year. The Benton Telecommunications Foundation in Rice gave $15,000, and more than 70 people and organizations covered the remaining $65,000.

Since opening in 1995, the Dream Center has helped more than 17,000 men return to society. It provides structured housing, mentoring and meals to men who were formerly incarcerated, homeless veterans, or dealing with mental illness, chemical dependency, learning disabilities or other challenges.

The center is made up of five side-by-side buildings near the BNSF Depot northwest of downtown St. Cloud. Up to 46 men, ages 18 and older, live there, each with his own bedroom.

Men can’t simply sign up. They must be referred by a social worker, probation officer or aftercare provider. The Dream Center is a nonprofit licensed by the state as a “Board & Lodging with Special Services” facility.

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