Anissa Keyes: Supporting black businesses and mental health

In the Black community, those seeking mental health services face barriers of stigma, access, and a lack of diversity among providers. Anissa Keyes has spent over a decade breaking down those barriers, all while supporting Black businesses.

Born and raised in North Minneapolis, Keyes obtained a degree in social work from the University of Minnesota. She went into private practice in 2012. “I really had a heart for serving other people,” she says, stemming from a father with a lifelong struggle with addiction. “I just wanted to support those that were not probably going to make it into traditional services.” 

She began by visiting places that served the homeless and chemically dependent, asking to see their clients. “That just really caught fire,” she says. “There were a lot of folks that were like, ‘Absolutely, come and help these clients.’” 

Traditional mental health services are held in office spaces with few clinicians and therapists of color. “You’re not going to find Black or brown bodies, disenfranchised communities or ostracized communities coming into spaces like that,” Keyes says. So she met people in community centers, churches, and even their homes while in crisis. 

Keyes spent a few years trying to break down stigmas, but most clients she approached made her feel welcomed. “I think people want the support,” she says. “They just maybe want it on their terms in a way that feels like they are considered and a part of the process.” 

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Arubah Emotional Health typically does a needs assessment and then refers clients to organizations for additional support like medication, life skills, food, and housing. 

“We’re going to ensure that it’s not going to be another liquor store, another check cashing place, more of the same.”

The murder of George Floyd, combined with a pandemic, caused Arubah to double its clientele as many people of color were forced to reckon with their need for mental health support. With that growth came the need for more space to provide services. Keyes purchased a 5,000-square-foot building on 52^nd and Bryant in North Minneapolis. 

“It became The Healing Center, an integration of traditional outpatient therapy services and indigenous practices all under one roof.” Since purchasing the building was relatively easy, “it gave me a false sense of security.” 

When she looked to purchase the second building, the old Camden Park State Bank building that would become the Northside Epicenter, she says she didn’t think it through thoroughly. She envisioned the 3000-square space on the third floor as Arubah’s headquarters. 

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As a mother of five children between ages four and 26, she says, “To have a company is one thing; to have land ownership is different. That sort of diversifies my ability to be able to leave a legacy for my children.”

But tragically, three months into the contract there was a shooting in the barbershop housed in the building. A 23-year-old man was killed while his two-year-old son was getting his hair cut. The child’s mother was also shot and wounded. 

 “I don’t think I was focused on the right thing when I initiated the contract,” Keyes says, but the young man’s death caused her focus to shift. Her realtor told her it would be a good time to back out of the deal, considering she would probably lose tenants for safety concerns. Keyes forged ahead. 

The restaurant owner who owned the most significant space gave his notice the day after she closed on the building. “I’m a believer. It is the core of who I am,” Keyes says. “So, all of this was a part of His plan. I’m confident in that.” At the beginning of the process, the building occupancy was 95 percent. Within six months of closing, she lost 65 percent of her tenants.

Her response: “We’re filling this with Black businesses then,” she says. “We’re going to ensure that it’s not going to be another liquor store, another check cashing place, more of the same.

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“I didn’t have this grand scheme beforehand,” she says. “It came by way of evolution, kind of this organic shift. But it took this pain that drove everybody out and caused me to shift to be able to create the space.”

Including a school offering CNA classes, six Black women-owned businesses are currently in the building. The service offerings are a plant-based restaurant, an apothecary, and skills to help men gain entry-level employment.

Keye’s continues to plan for the future with a Summerfest featuring a gospel concert, carnival, and literacy event this summer, all happening at the Northside Epicenter. 

“If I have the leverage and the power and the ownership to shift this community, it can be bigger than just me bringing Arubah here,” she says. “We’re going to drive what that corner is going to look like aesthetically, emotionally…and we’re going to honor Black bodies.”

The Northside Epicenter is located at 705 N. 42nd Ave. in Minneapolis. Abruah-The Healing Center is located at 5201 Bryant Ave. N. in Minneapolis. 

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