Published Monday, December 23, 1996

'Stepping stone' replaces old downtown lodgings

Ed Briggs is a man who makes good things last. His black leather Army boots, issued almost 10 years ago, still shine. He has also hung onto his cold-weather long underwear, military-issued for Korean winters but handy when he moved here from Gary, Ind., in mid-1995.

He's similarly determined to make something of his stay at The Lamoreaux, a renovated 34-unit building at 706 1st Av. N. that opened in 1994 for formerly homeless residents.

"The Lamoreaux is a stepping stone. A lot of people started out like I did -- didn't know anybody. Maybe you can save a few bucks and get back on your feet. I hope everybody in this building has better luck," said Briggs, a stocky 29-year-old with a goatee.

Briggs said his luck turned bad when his marriage fell apart back home. He brought his nursing skills to Minneapolis, working as a home health care attendant for disabled people until his nursing license is recognized in Minnesota. He spent a few weeks at the nearby Harbor Lights homeless shelter, stopping by The Lamoreaux almost daily to check his status on its waiting list.

The Lamoreaux is part of a continuum of downtown-area transitional housing owned by Central Community Housing Trust, a nonprofit developer. The building is alcohol-free; the rent is $155 to $170 monthly for its small but clean rooms. Bathroom, kitchen and laundry space are shared. Each resident gets a small refrigerator and a three-shelf food cabinet. Counseling is available.

Those who successfully complete a year at The Lamoreaux, or its companion, The Continental Hotel, can get on a waiting list for 25 efficiencies at The Coyle, or use their successful rental history to show to other landlords.

The trust operates 676 units in 13 buildings, ranging from 9-by-15-foot rooms to a few three-bedroom apartments. They represent a change from the single-room-occupancy, by-the-week hotels that used to dominate the market for single men who wanted to live near downtown's day-labor halls or bus lines.

One of the last of those hotels, The Seville, shares with The Lamoreaux the triangular-shaped block across from the Target Center. The Seville's brick facade bears its onetime rate in peeling paint -- $14 a week, $5 a night. Briggs found it not to his liking, yet he finds some benefit from the blues bar it houses. "Sometimes, instead of listening to my little radio, I crack my window and listen to the music," he said.

Briggs said he's grateful for The Lamoreaux but hopes by next summer to return to college and move into a place where guests don't have to be out by 10 p.m. "I want to be able to party if you want to." But for now, Briggs said, he has neither the money nor the time.

-- Steve Brandt

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