In 1865, Reverend Eric Norelius of Vasa Lutheran Church in Welch, Minnesota purchased ten acres of land near the site of the congregation for an orphanage with cropland to support operating costs.

[6] In August of 2019, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz appointed then-CEO of LSS Jodi Harpstead commissioner of the state Department of Human Services.

[9] LSS administers programs for children, youth, families, people with disabilities, and older adults through more than 23 lines of service.

[12] In 2008, LSS opened the Center for Changing Lives, a hub for multiple community services and 48 units of affordable housing in the Phillips neighborhood of Minneapolis.

[13] LSS opened a second Center for Changing Lives to serve youth experiencing homelessness in Duluth, Minnesota in June 2017.