Our Origin Story
The Blue House began long before it had a name. It began in a small blue home on St. Paul’s West Side, where a young girl was raised by grandparents who believed in “community tithing”—the idea that one decision, one act of generosity, could change the course of someone’s life. That home was more than shelter. It was a sanctuary, a place where people arrived with burdens and left with a little more strength than they came in with.
Decades later, that same belief is the foundation of The Blue House: that healing is not a service, but a relationship; not a program, but a community; not a moment, but a journey.
A Mission Rooted in Loss, Love and Purpose
On October 16, 2022, my youngest child and only son, Gabriel “Dino” Mendoza, was murdered while working security at a Minneapolis nightclub. He had just turned 23. His case remains unsolved. In the months that followed, I found myself navigating a maze of legal systems, unanswered questions, and a grief so heavy it felt impossible to carry alone.
I searched for a place to put my pain—a place that understood that “moving forward” is not the same as “moving on.” I didn’t find one. So I began creating it.
The Blue House exists for people like me: individuals and families whose lives have been shattered by violence and who are left to navigate grief, justice systems, and daily survival all at once. It is a sanctuary, a justice hub, and a healing ecosystem built from lived experience, professional expertise, and the collective wisdom of community.
Our mission is simple and profound: To offer compassionate, peer-led advocacy and creative healing supports that help people stabilize, connect, and rebuild their lives after loss and violence.
Our vision is a world where no one walks through grief alone, where communities respond with care instead of silence, and where healing is accessible, culturally rooted, and lifelong.