Bidwell Residence sits in a West St. Paul neighborhood with lots of trees and well-kept plants, where you can walk to shops, restaurants, parks, grocery stores, and catch the 75 or 62 bus nearby, and if you need to drive there's off-street parking and garage options. People live in two-bedroom apartments with a private bedroom and shared living room, dining room, and kitchen, or you can find customized living at places like Serenity Place, Unity Place, and Whittier Place, and they also offer shared apartments at ICS at Bidwell Residence, Bidwell Residence A, and Park Residence, so you get privacy but also companionship, and there are comfortable rooms that come already furnished, with air conditioning, cable or satellite TV, Wi-Fi throughout, paid utilities in some units, and big storage closets for your things. They accept Section 8 vouchers, which is something you don't always see, and they focus on helping people with mental illness or disabilities by using a Housing First approach to stop homelessness with supportive housing, in-home help, and case management for folks needing a stable place to live, and you'll find staff around 24 hours a day for supervision and nursing care, medication help, wound care, and support with getting dressed, bathing, moving around, and even memory care for people with Alzheimer's or dementia.
There's a big push on making sure each resident can build life skills, work toward their own goals, and stay as independent as they can, with daily planned activities, outings, and clubs led by residents, plus movie nights, an arts room, a barber and salon, walking paths, and a garden courtyard with seats for relaxing or socializing. For eating, the dining room serves meals, and special diets like low-sugar or allergy-sensitive food get handled, so people can eat well and safely, and there are laundry rooms with free washers and dryers, regular housekeeping, and services like move-in help, housekeeping, dry cleaning, and help with appointments, and transportation gets arranged for medical visits. Safety gets taken care of with an emergency alert system, 24-hour call buttons, and full wheelchair accessibility around the whole property, making things easier for people who need it, and common spaces like living rooms and kitchens bring people together and make it seem more like a regular home, not just an institution.
Bidwell Residence runs a mental wellness program and does a lot of case management and health care coordination, and the staff work closely with residents to get them the help and services they need, whether that's for mental, physical, or emotional health. People here can get respite care so their family caregivers can have a break, and there's advocacy, solution-oriented help, goal planning, and plenty of ways to get involved in the community, both at Bidwell and outside of it, with easy access to libraries and other places that help people stay part of things. The whole place tries to keep things simple and welcoming, always working on improving inside and outside spaces, and it fits about 40 people, keeping things small enough so that it feels friendly but big enough to offer all the help and activities folks might want or need.
