>> CATHY: EARLIER THIS WEEK, THE LEGISLATIVE REPORT ON YOUTH HOMELESSNESS WAS RELEASED.

THE JOINT PROJECT BETWEEN WILDER RESEARCH AND THE MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES IDENTIFIED PERSISTENT BARRIERS AND GAPS IN RESOURCES FOR HOMELESS YOUTH, INCLUDING RACIST PRACTICES AND THE LACK - OF YOUTH-CENTERED SOLUTIONS.

JOINING US WITH MORE ON THE REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR LAWMAKERS, MICHELLE DECKER GERRARD LED THE STUDY FOR WILDER RESEARCH.

HERE TOO IS JAMES LEWIS.

HE HAS WORKED IN YOUTH HOMELESSNESS FOR MANY YEARS, MOST OF THE LAST DECADE WITH THE LINK, A TWIN-CITIES-BASED ORGANIZATION THAT WORKS WITH YOUTH IN POVERTY.

GOOD TO HAVE YOU BOTH HERE.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

MICHELLE, FOR FOLKS, I BET SOME PEOPLE ARE SURPRISED THAT THERE'S SUCH A BIG YOUTH HOMELESSNESS PROBLEM IN MINNESOTA.

WHO ARE THESE YOUNG PEOPLE?

WHY ARE THEY ON THE STREETS?

>> WELL, EVERY YOUNG PERSON HAS A DIFFERENT STORY TO TELL.

A LOT OF COMPLEX HISTORIES, A LOT OF TRAUMA IN THEIR BACKGROUNDS.

WE HAVE YOUTH THAT HAVE MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES, YOUTH WITH PHYSICAL DISABILITIES, YOUTH THAT AVE BEEN IN FOSTER CARE, YOUTH WHO ARE LGBTQ AND MAYBE FOLKS DON'T UNDERSTAND OR ACCEPT THEIR IDENTITIES.

SO A WIDE, WIDE VARIETY OF FACTORS.

AND THEN SOME YOUTH ARE JUST EXPERIENCING POVERTY, CAN'T MAKE RENT AND, SO, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT 24 YEARS OLD AND YOUNGER FOR UR YOUTH POPULATION, AND WE HAVE ABOUT 5,000 YOUTH WHO ARE HOMELESS ON ANY GIVEN NIGHT IN MINNESOTA.

SO IT'S A PRETTY CONSIDERABLE PROBLEM.

>> Cathy: JAMES, HOW DOES HOMELESSNESS AFFECT YOUTH DIFFERENTLY THAN ADULTS?

>> OOF, IN SO MANY WAYS.

YOUTH THAT ARE HOMELESS, THEY HAVEN'T HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO FIGURE OUT LIFE YET.

SO, THEY'RE STARTING OUT KIND OF IN A DEFICIT.

THE SERVICES THAT ARE AVAILABLE ARE SO IMPORTANT, THEY NEED MORE THAN JUST HOUSING.

THEY STILL NEED THE SUPPORT ON WHAT IT MEANS TO BECOME INDEPENDENT, HOW YOU FOLLOW A LEASE, HOW YOU GET ALONG IN YOUR COMMUNITY, GET CONNECTED TO RESOURCES, AND WITH THE ADULT SIDE, IT'S JUST A LITTLE BIT MORE COLD.

YOU GET WHAT YOU GET AND THEN YOU HAVE TO FIGURE IT OUT.

AND FOR THE YOUTH, THAT'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH.

THEY NEED A LOT MORE.

>> Eric: ONE OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS IS TO HAVE HOMELESS YOUTH AT THE TABLE, MAKING SUGGESTIONS, AND APPARENTLY -- I'M SURPRISED THAT ISN'T HAPPENING.

>> IT IS STARTING TO HAPPEN.

IT NEEDS TO HAPPEN WAY MORE.

IT'S A SHAME THAT IT'S AKEN THIS LONG TO GET EVERYBODY TO REALIZE THAT THIS IS THE WAY TO DO IT.

AT THE LINK, WE HAVE ABOUT 50 YOUNG PEOPLE THAT WE HAVE ON STAFF THAT HELP US RUN AND OPERATE ALL OUR PROGRAMS, AND WE FIGURED OUT THAT THE BEST WAY TO SOLVE THE ISSUES IS LET THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE THE MOST EXPERIENCE HELP US FIGURE OUT HOW TO DO THAT.

>> Eric: AND JUST TO FOLLOW UP ON THAT, ANOTHER OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS INDICATES THAT THERE'S A PATCHWORK OF POLICIES, CITY, COUNTY, STATE, UNCOORDINATED, NO -- SORT OF EVERYBODY ON THE SAME PAGE.

>> UM-HUM.

>> Eric: HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN?

>> THERE'S SO MANY DIFFERENT FUNDING SOURCES.

SO MANY DIFFERENT JURISDICTIONS.

AND YOUTH AREN'T JUST DEALING WITH THE HOUSING ISSUE.

AS JAMES SAID.

SO THEY'RE GOING TO SCHOOL, SOME OF THEM ARE INVOLVED WITH CHILD PROTECTION, SOME OF THEM ARE INVOLVED WITH THE LEGAL SYSTEM.

AND, SO, IT'S HAVING ALL THOSE SYSTEMS WORK TOGETHER, WHICH CURRENTLY THAT'S THE FRAGMENTATION, THEY AREN'T.

SO YOUTH SERVICE PROVIDERS DO DO A REALLY GOOD JOB, WE FOUND IN OUR REPORT, OF WORKING TOGETHER.

IT'S REALLY QUITE AMAZING, THEIR PARTNERSHIP WITH THOSE WHO WORK JUST WITH YOUTH HOMELESS FOLKS.

BUT ALL THE OTHER SYSTEMS THAT COME INTO PLAY THAT A YOUTH HAS TO DEAL WITH ON A DAILY BASIS IS WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT.

JUST REALLY COMPLEX.

>> Cathy: JAMES, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU CAN ANSWER THIS QUESTION.

I'M GOING TO ASSUME THAT YOU MOSTLY WORK WITH URBAN YOUTH?

DO YOU FIND -- THE PROBLEM'S IN RURAL AREAS, RIGHT?

>> YES.

>> Cathy: DO THE RURAL KIDS COME IN TO THE CITIES LOOKING FOR HELP?

>> THEY DO, UNFORTUNATELY, BECAUSE THERE HASN'T BEEN A LOT OF RESOURCES IN THE RURAL AREA SO THEY'RE KIND OF FORCED TO RELOCATE.

I MEAN, I'M JUST SO PROUD OF WHAT WE'RE DOING AT THE LINK.

WE ARE ALSO WORKING IN THE SUBURBS.

WE'VE BEEN CONCENTRATING IN THE SUBURBAN AREAS FOR THE PAST SIX OR EVEN YEARS.

SIX OR SEVEN YEARS.

A LOT OF IT HAS BEEN EDUCATION THAT THOSE AREAS UNDERSTAND THE DEPTH OF THE ISSUES THAT ARE GOING ON.

AND THEN IT'S JUST TO LISTEN AND SUPPORT.

AND THEN HOPEFULLY IF THEY'RE HOMELESS AND THEY WANT TO STAY IN THEIR HOME COMMUNITY, THEY CAN DO THAT.

>> Eric: KIDS ARE PRETTY RESILIENT.

I WONDER IF YOU COULD SHARE A COUPLE OF SUCCESS STORIES WHERE HOMELESSNESS HAS BEEN ERADICATED, OTHER PROBLEMS HAVE BEEN ADDRESSED.

I ASSUME THESE KIDS CAN REALLY FLOURISH.

>> OH, ABSOLUTELY.

THAT'S WHAT KEEPS ME IN THE WORK, IS THEIR RESILIENCY.

AND IT UST HUMBLES ME ALL THE TIME TO THINK OF WHAT THEY'RE ABLE TO GO THROUGH AND STILL SHOW UP AND WANT TO PURSUE GOALS AND WANT TO GIVE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY.

THERE'S BEEN SO MANY EXPERIENCES THAT I'VE HAD THE GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO SEE FLOURISH.

WE HAVE YOUNG PEOPLE WHO COME IN WITH EXTREME BARRIERS AND TRAUMA AND HAVE BEEN ABLE TO NOT ONLY CONTRIBUTE TO BUILDING THE COMMUNITY THAT THEY'RE LIVING IN BUT OBTAIN PERMANENT POSITIONS AT OUR AGENCY AS WELL.

SO, WE'VE SEEN OUNG PARENTS REALLY GET AN OPPORTUNITY O GET INVOLVED WITH EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT, GET SOME GREAT SUPPORT TO THEIR CHILDREN, AT THE SAME TIME GET SUPPORT FOR THEMSELVES AND INCREASE THEIR INCOME AND BECOME SOLID FAMILY HOMEOWNERS.

>> Cathy: THOSE ARE SUCCESS STORIES.

I WAS TALKING TO A FRIEND TODAY, ICHELLE, ABOUT THE LARGE ENCAMPMENT THAT IS IN MINNEAPOLIS RIGHT NOW.

OFF OF FRANKLIN AVENUE AND HIAWATHA.

I'M SURE THERE'S PROBABLY SOME YOUNG PEOPLE THERE, TOO.

FOR THE PAST 30 YEARS, I MEAN, ERIC AND I HAVE BEEN DOING STORIES ABOUT HOMELESSNESS FOR, LIKE, 30 YEARS, WHY IS THE NEEDLE NOT REALLY -- DOESN'T SEEM LIKE IT'S MOVING, THE PROBLEM SEEMS LIKE IT'S GETTING WORSE.

>> WELL, THE PROBLEM -- PART OF THE PROBLEM WAS THE INVESTMENT.

AND THIS LEGISLATIVE ESSION, OF COURSE, THERE WAS A BIG INVESTMENT THAT WE'RE SUPER EXCITED ABOUT.

SO EVERYONE WHO WORKS IN THE HOMELESSNESS COMMUNITY IS PRETTY DARN HAPPY ABOUT THE INVESTMENT THAT WAS MADE IN HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS THIS SESSION.

SO THAT SHOULD REALLY HELP.

BUT IN ADDITION, WE DO NEED ALL THOSE OTHER UPSTREAM THINGS TO HAPPEN SO THAT PEOPLE DON'T LOSE THEIR HOUSING AND DON'T LOSE THOSE SUPPORTS.

AND PART OF THE REASON WHY PEOPLE ARE OUTSIDE AND ENCAMPING IS THE SERVICES THAT ARE AVAILABLE TO HEM AREN'T REALLY ACCESSIBLE OR THE ONES THAT THEY NEED.

THEY MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO GET INTO A SHELTER WITH THEIR PARTNER OR WITH THEIR DOG OR WHATEVER IT IS.

SO THEY'RE LOOKING FOR SOMETHING THAT MEETS THEIR NEEDS.

SO THAT'S REALLY REALLY IMPORTANT AS PART OF OUR REPORT, WE FOUND THAT INDIVIDUALIZED SHELTER AND SERVICES ARE WHAT PEOPLE NEED.

>> Cathy: JAMES, DO YOU WANT TO MAKE A COMMENT ON THAT?

>> I MEAN, THAT'S THE BRUNT OF IT, YOU KNOW.

JUST TO BECOME ELIGIBLE TO GAIN ACCESS TO SERVICES HAS BECOME REALLY CHALLENGING.

>> Eric: YOU GOT TO MAKE SURE THAT THE HOMELESS KIDS KNOW THAT THE STUFF IS THERE TO ACCESS, I SUPPOSE, TOO.

>> YES, YES.

WE HAVE PLENTY OF WORKERS THAT ARE OUT ON THE STREET TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT THE KIDS ARE AWARE OF WHAT'S OING ON.

I FEEL LIKE AS PROVIDERS, THAT'S PART OF OUR JOB IS TO HELP EDUCATE THE COMMUNITY AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE BECAUSE IT'S NOT JUST MONEY THAT WE NEED, IT'S THE SUPPORT AND EDUCATION AND JUST KNOWLEDGE THAT THERE'S AN ISSUE OUT THERE.

AND THE MORE PEOPLE THAT KNOW, THE MORE LIKELY WE'LL GET A CHANCE O END HOMELESSNESS.

>>