Create Shelters for the Homeless Children, Teens, and Young Adults.

 

There are about 13,000 youth under the age of 22 experiencing homelessness each year. This bill has the purpose to give

warmth, food, and shelter to these young adults and children in MN. The rate of death for these young people is 3 times

higher than the average Minnesotan, according to the Minnesota Homeless Mortality Report, 2017 - 2021.

Building these shelters specifically for younger people would help them and protect them until they can get into foster

care or get on their feet into programs that protect them from falling back into homelessness.

 

This bill helps the children and young adults get back into better lives. Most homeless people have often sold

themselves to Human Trafficking, an enlarging issue in Minnesota. Minneapolis and St. Paul are the one of the two

largest cities in Minnesota, and makes them popular trading places to exploit Human Trafficking. In Minnesota alone,

around 5,000 children have been sold off for sex, drugs, food, money, labor, and more. This even affects most of the

minority communities in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Around 83% of the general homeless are people of color, according to

the National Alliance to End Homelessness. Along with that, the death rate is much higher for the homeless rather than

the average Minnesota citizen. It is around 3 times higher, due to factors like the temperature, pollution, and the

proven lack of shelter, food, warmth, or any other necessities to survive in Minnesota.

 

Homeless Children and Young Adults -

Children/Young Adults ages 1-22 without shelter.

Shelter -

A safe place where the homeless people can gather for safety, food, and warmth.

Human Trafficking -

A crime that involves using people to provide labor, services, and/or sex. This includes using minors for commercial sex

annd involves illegal transport of individuals for sex or labor.

 

Average cost for keeping homeless youth shelters running varied across shelters in Minnesota.

For example :

Brittany’s Place, Hope House, St. Cloud Youth Shelter,

Vonwald Youth Shelter - Total Operating Expenses as of FY2024 - $10,563,754

Avenues for Youth : Total Operating Expenses as of FY2024 - $3,686,589

The Bridge for Youth : Total Operating Expenses - $5,184,803

The homeless shelters here in MN have received funding from the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development and the

State of Minnesota. Other eligible service providers include Community Action Agencies and local governments which also

contribute to the funding of these programs and shelters.

 

N/A

 

TBD