Jun 7, 2024 | By: Lakeland News

Bemidji Area Gets Help to Fight Youth Homelessness with New HUD Grant

The Bemidji community is getting a financial boost to help fight youth homelessness.

Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded $51.1 million in Youth Homelessness System Improvement (YHSI) grants to 38 communities across 26 states, Puerto Rico, and Guam. The Northwest Minnesota Foundation, based in Bemidji, will get $2 million as one of the recipients.

HUD officials, alongside local leaders in Bemidji, made the announcement on Thursday. While the Northwest Minnesota Foundation is the main grantee, funds will be sub-granted out to also support the work of the Minnesota Tribal Collaborative to Prevent and End Homelessness, the Northeast Minnesota Continuum of Care, and the Northwest Minnesota Continuum of Care.

“I was especially glad to see that the application submitted by the Northwest Minnesota Foundation was written in partnership with the Minnesota Tribal Collaborative and the Northeast Continuum of Care,” said Marion McFadden, HUD Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Community Planning in Development, at Thursday’s meeting. “More than 50% of the budget is dedicated to enhancing the work of the Minnesota Tribal Collaborative, a sub-grantee of the award.”

She continued, “The application submitted by the partnership highlights the needs of Indigenous youth who are unstably housed or experiencing homelessness, and it will work to create partnerships across northern Minnesota to prevent or resolve homelessness among Indigenous youth. This is so important because Indigenous youth represent 40% of the youth experiencing homelessness in northern Minnesota, while Indigenous youth are only 10% of the overall population of young people.”

“We are committed to working alongside the Northwest CoC toward our shared goal of ending homelessness in our region,” said Northwest Minnesota Foundation President Karen White. “Housing is a fundamental human right, and we are proud to partner with the region to make sure that safe and secure housing is available to all our neighbors.”

“The Minnesota Collaborative is happy that we are part of a community that is willing to make change,” added Tammy Moreland, Minnesota Tribal Collaborative to Prevent and End Homelessness Chairperson. “We are thankful to benefit from the youth homeless systems and permit funding, so that we can collaboratively provide a broader continuum of housing assistance and services to our homeless youth populations on and off the resignations here in Minnesota.”

The first of their kind, Youth Homelessness System Improvement grants focus on systemic change to either improve or create response systems for youth at risk of or experiencing homelessness. These grants fund projects that, according to HUD:

  • Create and build capacity for Youth Action Boards.
  • Establish regional committees to direct efforts across multiple systems, including education, justice, and child welfare.
  • Collect and use data on at-risk youth and youth experiencing homelessness.
  • Develop strong leaders within a community.
  • Improve the coordination, communication, operation, and administration of homeless assistance projects to better serve youth, including prevention and diversion strategies.

In addition, HUD has also released a $72 million funding opportunity for the FY 2023 Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program (YHDP) and supportive services programs.

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