How Minnesota Fights Homelessness

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

To the Editor:

It was a pleasure to see attention given to the efforts of the federal government and many states to address the pervasive and complex issues contributing to long-term homelessness in our country (“Seeking a Home Remedy,” August 18).

At least one state — Minnesota — is attempting to address the long-term homelessness of families with children, as well as that of singles. Like many states, Minnesota, along with many partners from the private, nonprofit, and public sectors, developed a plan to end chronic homelessness in our state. Unlike many other states and the federal government, however, our state includes in the long-term homeless population not only singles, but also families and unaccompanied youths who have been homeless for one year or more or have experienced four or more episodes of homelessness in a three-year period.

In addition to including families and unaccompanied youths in the target population of our plan to end long-term homelessness, Minnesota does not require a “disabling condition.” The Wilder Research Center, a St. Paul-based nonprofit that has been collecting and analyzing data on homelessness in Minnesota for over 20 years, tells us that most people experiencing long-term homelessness in our state suffer from one or more disabling conditions: for example, 52 percent have a serious or persistent mental illness, 33 percent a chemical-dependency problem, and 48 percent a chronic health condition. However, Minnesota chose not to require a disability as a precondition for inclusion in our plan because we do not want to exclude those who, no doubt in large part because of their illnesses, choose not to be diagnosed.

There is no question but that line-drawing among needy populations is distasteful. Plans to end long-term homelessness differentiate between people who are “homeless” and those who are “long-term homeless.” In Minnesota, we do the same with families, not because we ignore the tragedy of all homelessness, but because we are directing resources to the most desperate families. While including families in our plan to end long-term homelessness, we also provide resources to prevent family homelessness and continually search for ways to prevent children from the suffering — and damage — that result when their families do not have a place to live.

Laura Kadwell
Director
Ending Long-Term Homelessness in Minnesota
St. Paul