Every year, the Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless hosts Homeless Day on the Hill at the State Capitol. Hundreds of community members convene for a day of advocacy, meetings with lawmakers (scheduled by MCH), committee hearings, stories of impact and more. Here are a few other highlights from our #MCHDOTH in 2024:
- Over 900 of us gathered throughout the day for a full day of advocacy.
- The Governor and Lt. Governor came to the Homeless Day on the Hill opening program to share their support to ending homelessness. We also had champion lawmakers Representative Keeler, Representative Curran and Representative Howard join us for the program, and they are committed to finding solutions to homelessness and investing into services.
- MCH Fellows, Jason and Ranee, were the emcees of the program, with Claudette and Laquita also speaking. Find the full recorded version of the program on our YouTube channel here.
- We had 28 wonderful sponsors that made the event free for advocates to attend. Check them out on our website and below.
- At minimum, 125 lawmakers were confirmed to meet with their constituents from across the state.
- We were in the news multiple times; here are a few highlights:
- Homelessness in Minnesota declined slightly in the past five years, according to a new statewide study released Wednesday, StarTribune (Note: This article features the Minnesota Homeless Study from Wilder Research (one of the #MCHDOTH sponsors!) and a quote from MCH Fellow, Ranee Rock.)
- Researchers: Homelessness declined slightly in Minnesota since 2018, pandemic effect unclear, MPR
- Homeless coalition meets with state lawmakers to push for funding, new encampment law, MPR
- Brooks: Once a year, the homeless speak and the politicians listen, StarTribune
- We have a blog that features a reflection from each of our MCH Advocacy Fellows. Find that on our website here.
- Check out the hashtag #MCHDOTH on social media platforms and you can see all the advocates and their organization’s posts!
