West Metro Homeless Youth Task Force - Post Summit

Teens Alone held its third annual summit on November 8, 2007 to address the needs of homeless youth in the west metro area. Attending the summit were numerous school administrators, teachers, community workers, counselors, concerned individuals and a metro transit outreach representative.

Hennepin County Commissioner Gail Dorfman opened the summit (and has agreed to serve as Chair of the West Metro Homeless Youth Task Force, succeeding Teens Alone's Lydia Kihm).

Suburban Homeless youth are undercounted!
Michelle Decker, contributing author of the Wilder Homeless Youth Minnesota, outlined some of the many reasons our youth become homeless. These included fighting with parents, being told to leave, having someone at home they can't stand to be around, not willing to live by parents rules, neglect, parents use of drugs and alcohol, violence, home too small etc. Decker was especially concerned that as many of these youth hide their homelessness, they are undercounted and that 22% of the homeless youth who are counted remain homeless for a year or more. She went further to say that the youth who were interviewed consistently ask for help with shelter, transportation, food stamps, medical and dental. "There is nothing fun or glamorous about being homeless. These kids need our help."

Task Force formed and made seven recommendations
The West Metro Task Force was organized at the 2006 summit meeting to address some of these concerns and made seven recommendations. Their recommendations were divided into three workgroups.

The community is encouraged to join a workgroup so we can come up with ways to better serve suburban homeless youth. Join one of three "Four meetings in five months," looking at prevention and outreach, shelter and housing, and documentation and evaluation.

Interested in making a difference? Keep reading!

Workgroup #1: Prevention, outreach and case management
This Workgroup will look at the following Task Force recommendations:

provide funding to expand capacity and coordination of existing providers to offer prevention and early intervention services and support family reunification as appropriate.
provide funding for additional case management services to serve homeless and at-risk youth in the West Metro. The group will:
determine and ensure that West Metro communities have adequate prevention, outreach and case management services available to homeless youth that need them.
identify all groups (faith, schools, etc) involved in prevention and outreach and invite them into the process; Learn how such activities are being done (formally and informally) and their impact and; secure resources to sustain such activities going forward.

First meeting: Monday, December 10th, 4:00 p.m. Location TBD

Interested in working on this workgroup? E-mail Rob Ward at rob@teensalone.org or Barton at barton@cornerstonemn.org

Workgroup #2: Shelter and Housing
This Workgroup will look at the following Task Force recommendations:

Create 30 beds/units of emergency and short term shelter and/or housing options located within the West Metro community.
Create 20 long-term supportive housing opportunities per year for ten years located throughout the West Metro for homeless youth. The group will:
determine the best allocation of shelter and housing resources by need and geography within the West Metro.
help secure funding and organizational partners to create such shelter and housing for our youth.

Next meeting: Wednesday, January 9th, 8:30-10:30 a.m., Teens Alone office, 915 Mainstreet, Hopkins. Please park in the back parking lot.

Interested in working on this workgroup? E-mail Colleen Simpson at simpson@parknicollet.com or Lydia Kihm at lydia@teensalone.org

Workgroup #3: Research, documentation and evaluation
This Workgroup will look at the following Task Force recommendations:

Ensure that future research on documenting and estimating the extent of homelessness in Minnesota includes methodology that would permit a more accurate assessment of homeless youth in the rapidly growing suburban metropolitan area. The group will:
Help outline and train West Metro communities to more uniformly document homeless youth
Evaluate outcomes and estimates and create system for using information to inform ongoing housing and services for homeless youth.

First meeting: Thursday, November 29th, 9:30 - 11, Minnetonka Public Schools District Service Center, 5621 County Road 101, Minnetonka, 55345

Interested in working on this workgroup? E-mail Imogen Davis at imogen.davis@minnetonka.k12.mn.us