While living in the Twin Cities, I have become more familiar with the issue of homelessness, but each metro ride I take out of the cities brings me further from understanding or being able to help those experiencing homelessness. I have heard the tragic stories of how Minnesota’s cold winters can be deadly for those who do not have shelter. But this is more than just individual stories— in 2019, almost 8,000 individuals in Minnesota were experiencing homelessness on any given day. I wanted to draw into the problem to be able to find effective ways to help.
After my last article on homelessness in Minneapolis, I spoke with Sarah Williams, the Community Relations Manager for People Serving People, which is the largest shelter for families experiencing homelessness in Minnesota.
People Serving People has 99 emergency housing units that support on average 335 people per night. In 2019, they served 2,597 people from 903 families.
While originally People Serving People opened nearly 40 years ago to only assist men, for the last 30 years it has served exclusively families, with 63 percent of guests being children. The shelter provides numerous family services ranging from an Early Childhood Education Program for young children onsite to employment counseling and advocacy services for adults.
How has the pandemic affected the shelter?
The food services have become delivery, which adds extra challenges. Each volunteer needs the proper personal protective equipment, and food needs to be individually packaged into family containers for the three meals each day.
Common spaces are all closed which stifles a sense of community in the building. Many of the children are attending online classes in the housing units and parents are also trying to locate housing and job opportunities, so it can be challenging for families to function in close proximity throughout the day. While the building is physically safe and many precautions have been taken to keep the residents healthy, there is an emotional and social toll that affects many of the guests.
Currently, there are around 150 residents. This unusual drop in the number of occupants might be due to concerns about living close to other individuals during the pandemic. It is also possible that family and kinship networks are stepping in and providing temporary housing for those experiencing homelessness.
However, the shelter expects to see an increase in the number of occupants after the eviction moratorium has been lifted, which is set to happen on Feb, 12. Although there are some exceptions under extreme circumstances, the eviction moratorium prevents landlords from evicting their tenets. The inability for landlords to enact legal proceedings has enabled many individuals to remain in a sheltered location for a lengthened period of time. Unfortunately, with the extreme negative temperatures in the Twin Cities right now, the eviction moratorium is ending at an inopportune time. The harsh nature and longevity of Minnesota winters will also affect encampment communities that have formed outdoors. To learn more about homelessness or encampments, read David’s article on tiny homes and Emma’s article about homelessness during the pandemic.
How can you support shelters?
The stimulus checks do not seem to be providing any long-term relief for individuals experiencing homelessness. It seems unlikely that this money would be enough to lead to stable housing for many individuals. As I wrote in my last article, the average stimulus payment was $1809. As of right now the state government’s new policies and actions are not enough to help.
What shelters need most right now is monetary support. The shelter can utilize monetary donations in any way necessary, and they can be moved to wherever they are needed most. However, People Serving People also has a list of items that can be purchased and donated and features lists directly on Target and Amazon that allow donations to be purchased and given directly from the retailer.
While volunteers make up a crucial part of the organization, there are only a few volunteer opportunities available due to COVID-19. People Serving People has adjusted the meal services they provide from a cafeteria-style to door-to-door delivery, and delivering this food is one-way volunteers have been able to get involved. To find more ways to help “you should look around, look close to home, look at your neighbors for the ability to assist them and practice empathy”, Williams said.
What should people know to better understand homelessness?
The process to receive assistance from the county or state is not straightforward. Families get placed into the care of People Serving People through the county’s voucher system. Each family seeking emergency shelter in Hennepin County —which includes Minneapolis— must apply through the government’s website. After filling out an online application, the government will decide which families are the most vulnerable or in dire need of assistance from a shelter, which may be People Serving People or St. Anne’s Place, another local shelter.
Families that require immediate emergency housing will likely not need to wait a long time before being placed; however, families that are deemed less vulnerable— not facing immediate danger to either one’s physical wellbeing or safety— will face an extended waiting period before placement. The unpredictable nature of the circumstances these families face adds to the stress endured during this tumultuous time.
I asked Williams what she would share with individuals who do not know much about the process or homelessness.
Williams said, “They are humans who happen to have experienced and been a part of an unfair and unjust system. The families and community members who come to us seeking shelter are so much more than one experience. They are whole human beings with complex stories and beautiful personalities”.
Williams’s message is a crucial reminder— one that we all need to be aware of during a pandemic that has exposed inequities in our society. We are a part of a greater community and we all can take simple steps to help those in need: check in on our neighbors, educate ourselves about the realities of homelessness, and take advantage of opportunities to give.
- Green America: Campaigning Corporations for Change in the Cocoa Industry - June 29, 2021
- Closing the Gap Between Now and Herd Immunity - April 27, 2021
- How the Third Largest Contributor to Homelessness is Being Overlooked - March 29, 2021