The Path towards a Pathway Home
Creating the policy agenda is the most important part of our advocacy. In doing so, we relied on our core leaders, including members of the Regional Expert Network (REN), who are advocates who have lived experience of homelessness, and staff at organizations working to end homelessness. We organized listening sessions to identify the main solutions […]
Join us for an MFIP Twitterstorm!
#InThisTogetherMFIP GOAL: We need to use existing federal TANF money to send a one-time $500 emergency MFIP payment to families with children. Favoriting, retweeting, and posting the prepared tweets for the full half-hour Using LAWMAKER in our tweets Directing our followers to click on a specific link in every tweet (This blog found here: https://bit.ly/2RlQj0p) DETAILS: […]
Homeless Memorial March
The Homeless Memorial March and Service will bring together hundreds of community members to remember 169 homeless and formerly homeless friends and 11 advocates who passed away over the year. Of the individuals remembered, the average death age of homeless Minnesotans is 45. The average death age of formerly homeless individuals is 51. Of the […]
Governor Dayton’s Budget Proposal
Governor Dayton released his 2016-17 budget proposal this week. The Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless praises Governor Dayton’s support for children and families. Top budget priorities include a child care tax credit, statewide pre-k, and wrap around school services. Here’s what we’re watching: HOMES FOR ALL $2.5M increase for Bridges (rental assistance for individuals with serious […]
The New Face of Homelessness
Rochester Schools homeless liaison Melissa Brandt wrote an illuminating piece about homeless students and the role of government and individuals in meeting their needs. Did you know public schools had a homeless liaison? As the homeless liaison, Melissa Brandt helps assist those kids and their families experiencing homelessness. Brandt eloquently stated: “Honestly, most of the […]
The Chosen Ones by Patrick Ness
As a kid, I loved the first day of school. The evening before, on that bittersweet last night of summer, the nerves, excitement, and sense of possibility were overwhelming. The preparation rituals for kids across the state probably go something like this: Lay out your best clothes. Pack a special lunch (mine was a peanut […]
6 Things You Don’t Know About Welfare
1. Most people on welfare are children. 2. The nation’s welfare program, TANF (Temporary Assistance for Need Families), is only available to families with children… 3. … And yet, most families living below the poverty line are not enrolled in TANF. (and the number of families enrolled in TANF has dropped substantially since 1996 – […]
3 Things You Don’t Know About Homelessness
Visit Wilder Research to view full results from the 2012 Homelessness in Minnesota survey.