Today we’d like to introduce you to Seth Snyder.
Hi Seth, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Small Sums began as a conversation among a group of friends who were all owners of small businesses. They realized that they were having a common problem – new employees they had recently hired sometimes wouldn’t show up for their first day of work, or would leave after a day or two.
They realized that one of the common factors that explained the loss of of employees was that many of them were experiencing either active homelessness or housing instability. Individuals without stable housing often couldn’t afford the “small sums” they each needed to start the new job opportunities they found – things like work-specific clothing, non-slip shoes or protective work boots, or tools and equipment needed for their new jobs.
The group decided they had an opportunity not only to improve their businesses, but also to work toward reducing homelessness. At the beginning, they helped individuals experiencing housing instability with business plans and paperwork to start their own small businesses. As they worked alongside new entrepreneurs, many of the individuals they were supporting needed to find hourly jobs while they got their own business plans off the ground. Before Small Sums had any staff, a few volunteers supported workers by taking them shopping for the new clothes, footwear, and sometimes a few tools they each needed to start their new hourly jobs.
When workers without stable housing started work again, these new hourly positions led to re-established steady income. Steady income led to stable housing. Stable housing led to personal financial stability and better, happier lives. Stabilized workers led to transformed households, and a virtuous cycle based in stable employment was helping individuals, families, and their neighborhoods.
This approach, providing personalized service for individuals starting new jobs, became Small Sums’ central mission and daily work. We’ve now been serving Minnesotans experiencing homelessness and housing instability for 20 years, and have supported over 12,000 individuals as they each prepared to start new jobs. A typical year for Small Sums now means serving over 1,000 individuals with our staff of 5, supporting dozens of referral partners in both the housing and workforce development realms.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Small Sums has experienced slow and steady growth over our 20 years. However, like the lives of the workers we serve, the path hasn’t always been smooth. Because our work is typically an immediate response to shifts in the housing market and hiring trends, we’ve seen sudden increases in need, as well as sudden decreases in hiring. Events like the COVID-19 pandemic increased housing instability, but also made hiring inconsistent. This year, the rippling effects of Operation Metro Surge have led to record service numbers and increased need for support.
In addition to the major events in the Twin Cities that have affected all of us, our organization has also overcome a fire that destroyed our office and our small inventory. A few years after re-locating and starting over after the fire, we were burglarized on Christmas Eve, and had our work computers and our supply of bus cards for workers stolen. Just like our clients are highly-mobile, we’ve moved offices a number of times as we’ve grown, but remain focused on serving all those who can reach us, staying on University Avenue over the years because of the frequent bus and train access that help workers get to our office for their individualized services.
As you know, we’re big fans of Small Sums. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
We’re the only organization that focuses exclusively on outfitting workers for new jobs when they’re experiencing housing instability. Before Small Sums was created, unhoused workers would have to piece together appropriate work clothing from thrift shops and other places that accept donated clothing. This meant folks would have to hope that they could find the type of clothing and gear they needed for work, at prices they could afford. When individuals are struggling to manage daily life and looking for both stable housing and steady work, a few hundred dollars in out-of-pocket costs for clothing, tools, and transportation often becomes an unreasonable barrier. If folks can’t afford to start the new jobs they’ve found, stable housing remains out of reach.
Small Sums has stepped into this relatively small, but urgently important, gap. We’re known for our joyful, respectful, and personalized services. We’re respected for the potential we help unlock in our local workforce, and for the ripple effects our services have beyond the 1,000 or more workers we serve each year. A majority of them keep their jobs and move into stable housing within 6 months of stopping by our office for an appointment. This means not only are hundreds of workers moving toward stability with our support, but there are hundreds of other neighbors who can take advantage of the housing services that our workers no longer need.
Small Sums is most proud of the relationships we have built over 20 years, the thousands of lives we’ve improved, and the top-notch reputation we’ve developed. We very rarely meet someone who knows our programs and services who isn’t enthusiastic about what we do. We are thrilled that so many unhoused workers find us through word-of-mouth recommendations, and that workers we’ve served in the past even come back with new clients because they felt so confident and supported by us. One of our favorite success stories in the past year was a former client who had come to us for work boots when he started a new landscaping job. Less than a year later, he was back in our office with three more guys, because he had started his own landscaping and snow-removal business, and was hiring guys he had met when he was living in temporary housing.
What’s next?
We are hoping to expand our staff team as we build a larger funding base. We’re confident that we can have an even larger impact on reducing homelessness and enhancing our local workforce, and we’re excited by the opportunity! On a given night, nearly 9,000 Minnesotans are without stable housing, and we hope to serve more of our neighbors in the coming years. Our previous record year was 1,250 workers served, and we’re on pace to supply 1,400 workers with our signature “dressed and ready” services in 2026.
We’re not planning any major changes to our mission, our vision, or our daily work, because homelessness and housing instability are still significant challenges. We believe employment is key to helping our community overcome homelessness. Our vision is of a world where everyone has equal opportunity for economic and housing stability that leads to transformed communities.
If our partnerships and funding come together as we plan, we hope to have an additional service location or potentially a mobile version of our program in coming years!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.smallsums.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smallsums/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SmallSums/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/smallsums/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_ckUn6EMMm2ov3Tcs6mEKw
