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You know something’s wrong when you leave the dentist’s office with a sucker. Why are we applying shortsighted solutions to systemic issues? Good intentions aren’t enough. It’s time to redesign our efforts to reduce homelessness in ways that create lasting, meaningful change.
When I was growing up, my parents moved our family from Chicago’s South Side to Minnesota, hoping for a better life. Instead, we found that the resources designed to help us came with impossible conditions. Housing support, for instance, was available only if my mother became a single parent. These policies force families into painful choices: Break apart to qualify for aid, or stay together and struggle without support.
This lived experience shaped my work for systemic change. Today, as executive director of the Center for School Change, a nonprofit that is transitioning to become Catalyst for Systems Change, I advocate for policies that help youths thrive — not just survive. Across Minnesota, young people and families continue to navigate systems that prioritize short-term fixes over cost-effective long-term solutions.
This isn’t a fire drill — it’s the real thing. Thousands of young people experience homelessness each night. The Minnesota Department of Education reported that over 10,000 children and youths in the state were homeless in October — a number that has been growing over the past few years. But many school officials say two to three times more than that are homeless at some point over the course of the year. In other words, more like 20,000 to 30,000 young people in Minnesota experience homelessness a year.
Addressing youth homelessness isn’t just a moral imperative; it’s financially prudent. Investing in mental health, housing and cost-effective equitable policies for currently homeless children, youths and families saves every Minnesota taxpayer’s money. For example, providing more permanent, deeply affordable housing could save millions of dollars in drug treatment, criminal justice and health care costs.
Recently, 65 young people from suburban, rural and urban areas met at our second annual Changemakers forum at the Minnesota State Capitol. Their top priority? Reducing youth homelessness. Participants shared stories of theft and assault in temporary shelters and advocated for more permanent affordable housing — a more cost-effective solution than shelter-focused approaches.