New transportation in St. Paul aimed at connecting kids with community resources

ST PAUL, Minn. — Connecting kids with community resources has always been the goal of community and recreation centers. In St. Paul, getting there can sometimes be a challenge – those resources may be far away, or other transportation options like light rail and buses may drop off blocks away.

As the city gets closer to summer, making sure those kids can get to those resources safely is top of mind.

That’s where ‘The Loop’ comes in.

“This just makes it a little bit easier to connect to all of those great programs,” Kali Freeman, who runs The Loop, said.

The Loop is just what it sounds like – a route of multiple places that a van can drop kids aged 10-18 off at. That van is staffed by drivers who have been vetted, like other rec center of library staff.

Freeman says the free rides are a chance to connect kids and teens to places they may not be able to get to otherwise.

“When they have that opportunity, it just might spark something entirely new in their lives,” Freeman said.

“This just makes it a little bit easier to connect to all of those great programs,” she continued.

The van currently goes to:

1. Rondo Community Library, 461 Dale St. N.
2. West Minnehaha Recreation Center, 685 Minnehaha Ave. W.
3. Black Youth Healing Arts Center, 643 Virginia St.
4. Frogtown Community Center, 230 Como Ave.
5. Martin Luther King Recreation Center, 271 Mackubin St. N.
6. Oxford Community Center/Jimmy Lee Recreation Center, 270 Lexington Pkwy. N. 

The van runs from 3-8 after school, Monday through Thursday.

“Young people need to get around and access to services and other things,” Andy Rodriguez, Director of St. Paul Parks and Recreation, said. “Doing a lot of community engagement, we heard a lot about the need for transportation and the need to get people, young people, ages 10 to 18, from safe place to safe place.”

There is a permission slip that parents or guardians need to sign before riders are allowed to board. You can find that here.

“Provide some sense of safety for parents as well, right, knowing that they can safely get from location to location and not have to walk a couple blocks,” Rodriguez said.

Freeman says this is especially prevalent as summer approaches.

“I want them to understand that they’ve got these opportunities wherever they go within these neighborhoods,” Freeman said.

The Loop is a partnership between the city’s Parks and Rec department and the St. Paul Public Library. Money comes from a grant that runs through 2027.

For more information on The Loop and the hours it runs, click here.