Minneapolis Non-Profit Auto Repair

The lift garage’s story

Working with people experiencing homelessness, longtime social worker Cathy Heying repeatedly saw how devastating the prohibitive cost of commercial car repair could be. In a domino effect, people who couldn’t afford to get their cars fixed couldn’t get to work and so lost their jobs. Without jobs, they lacked the money to pay for housing and ended up in shelter.

It was also evident that many people who could not afford the cost of commercial car repair, felt that they equally could not afford to stop driving some very dangerous vehicles. Too often they spent a bleak Minnesota winter living in cars without brakes or heat.

Cathy went back to school to earn a degree in auto technology. In April 2013, with board members, donors, and volunteers to back her, The Lift opened for one day a week in its present location in south Minneapolis, famously “behind Dan’s Car Wash,” which continues to be a supportive, good neighbor. We are going to celebrated our fifth anniversary and support from our community has made it possible for us to expand the services we provide. In addition to low cost car repair, we also offer free pre-purchase inspections of cars and free, regularly scheduled car-care classes.