Poverty in Minnesota is not strictly an urban issue. Many are unaware that poverty is ever present in Greater Minnesota as well. In a 2005 documentary by The Greater Minnesota Housing Fund 'Portraits of a Home' we learn that the number of homeless children in Minnesota has tripled since 1991. There are over 1,000 Minnesota's turned away from shelters each night due to a lack of space.
We at Finnegan's believe that it takes a community to create healthy communities and that the first step in engaging community members is to raise awareness about the realities of those critical issues facing our communities.
Did you know.....
Latest Findings from the Wilder Survey
There are approximately 9200 people homeless on any given night in Minnesota (about 1/3 of them are in Hennepin County).
47% of all people experiencing homelessness in the state are children or young adults (21 or younger).
23% of all people experiencing homelessless in the state were first homeless as a kid.
70% of homeless youth have been in some kind of out-of-home placement (foster care, etc.)
54% of youth (17 and younger) are struggling with mental illness.
Findings from the Wilder Survey, 2003
On the night of October 26, 2000, over 500 interviewers surveyed 2,480 of Minnesota’s homeless adults and youth, including a representative sample of those in shelters and transitional housing, and 468 people in unsheltered locations. Wilder has surveyed this population every three years since 1991. Below are some of their most recent findings.
More are homeless
On any given night, an estimated 8,600 people are homeless in Minnesota. This is nearly 2.5 times the estimate made in October 1991.
1991: 7,890
1994: 12,415
1997: 15,759
2000: 21,329
2003: 20,347
10,000 to 12,000 Minnesotans younger than 18 are estimated to have experienced at least one episode of homelessness in 2003.
500 to 600 Minnesotan younger than 18 are estimated to have experienced at least one episode of homelessness in 2003. Sources: Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless, Wilder Research Center There are 320 food shelves in Minnesota that serve as many as 7,000 families. In 2004, there were over 1.8 million food shelf visits and over 36 million pounds of food distributed. Several suburban food shelves have seend the numbers it serves double in the past five years and overall, food shelf visits are rising about 10 percent per year. Source: Star Tribune, 2-2-05
More are working
In nine years the proportion of homeless adults working full-or part-time has more than doubled from 19 percent in 1991 to 41 percent in 2000. The proportion working full-time has more than tripled from 7.5 percent to 26 percent. Over one-quarter of all homeless adults now report their main source of income is steady employment. However, 68 percent earn less tan $10 an hour, and 39 percent earn less than $8 an hour. To afford an average one-bedroom apartment in the Twin Cities are ($664 in 2000) would require an hourly wage of about $12.70
More people of color
While the overall racial composition of Minnesota’s adult population is about 94 percent white, the homeless adult population is 34 percent white, 47 percent African American, 11 percent American Indian, 1 percent Asian and 8 percent other (including mixed race). People of color now make up 66 percent of homeless adults, up from 59 percent in 1991.
More are children
Homeless children today outnumber Minnesota’s entire homeless population in 1991. On the night of the survey 3,122 children were in shelters, transitional housing, or on the streets with their parents. In 2000, one-third of all homeless adults – 10 percent of men and 66 percent of women – had at least one child under 18 with them. These homeless children are at significant risk of serious health, emotional, and behavioral problems. School-age children are also at higher risk for school problems or repeating a grade, and more parents report these problems in 2000 than in 1997.
More are mentally ill
Homeless in Minnesota 2003 - Wilder Research Center Mental illness continued to rise among homeless adults, affecting nearly half, while employment and income have eroded since 2000. The number of homeless children leveled off after a decade of dramatic growth, while the total number of homeless people rose slightly. Wilder's report also includes a survey of shelter providers in August-September 2003 about the impact of budget cuts.
www.wilder.org/research/
For more details, please see the Wilder Research Center Website at www.wilder.org.
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