I’m happy to share the Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless launched its Northeast tribal organizing work this summer.
American Indians in Minnesota are persistently over-represented in homeless counts, only 1% of the state population yet 11% of the homeless adult population and 20% of the homeless youth population. (Here’s a link to the Wilder Research homeless study focused on six Northern Minnesota reservations.)
A key finding indicated temporarily doubling up and overcrowding continues to worsen. One-third of homeless American Indian youth said they left home because there simply wasn’t enough room. As American Indians are unable to attain affordable housing on the reservation, they transition to nearby communities or urban centers in an attempt to find housing.
Housing policy crosses Tribal, local, state, and federal lines. I look forward to building stronger relationships to close the gap between legislative advocacy work in St. Paul and tribal communities in Northeast Minnesota. I’ll be sharing monthly updates on what I’m hearing on the MCH blog.
As a member of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, I feel honored to help strengthen our work together. Thank you to the Duluth Superior Community Foundation for supporting this important effort.
– LeAnn Littlewolf, Development Associate/Tribal Organizer