Avenues for Youth

Amount Appropriated?

$6.0M

FFID tracks stages 1–2 — stages 3–5 vary by agency, assistance type, and earmark structure.

Project Description

Annually in Minnesota over 13,000 unaccompanied youth experience homelessness, and we have shelter beds for only 15% of them. This crisis is rooted in systems of oppression, racism, and poverty. Black, Indigenous, & People of Color (BIPOC) youth comprise 73% of youth experiencing homelessness in Minnesota, and 80-90% of the youth served by Avenues. Youth who identify as LGBTQIA+ are also significantly over-represented in the youth population experiencing homelessness. Avenues\u2019 project is an opportunity to begin to address and remediate these disparities as a preventative, upstream solution. For example, 52% of homeless adults in Minnesota first experienced homelessness before age 24. When provided developmentally-appropriate housing and supports, we know that youth can overcome homelessness and thrive as tax-payers. Annually, over 70% of youth who move out of an Avenues program move into stable housing. Space matters, however. Our more spacious, dignified site in Brooklyn Park outperforms our Minneapolis location \u2013 especially during a public health crisis (Last year, only 48% of youth moving out of the North Minneapolis location exited to stable housing). Investing in a new home will allow Avenues to replicate success and meet the huge gap between need and available resources to support better outcomes for youth.