Minnesota’s Rise in Homelessness
Mmari smiles for a picture with his new friend, Charlie, in Uptown.
Concrete streets for beds, rumbling tummies and weary eyes as their day comes to an end. There are over half a million homeless people in the U.S. according to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). In Minnesota alone, there are about 10,214 people living on the streets, including more than 3,500 children.
According to the Suitcase Clinic, a homeless person is defined as a person that falls into a temporary time when they cannot afford to pay for a place to live, or when their current home is unsafe or unstable. These people not only lack a home and often personal hygiene, but they are also under a constant threat of theft and violence. Following social disorder, homelessness is one of the other leading social problems of the decade.
In a one-day count, on October 25, there was a high standing amount of 1,000 homeless people from the ages 18-21 along with about 146 teens under the age of 17 on the streets of Minneapolis alone.
“Teenagers should not have to experience homelessness. I mean, no one should, but just one teen is one too many,” executive director at The Domestic Abuse Project Carol Arthur said.
“Toward the end of last year and the beginning of this year, it’s more so women and the younger generation and it’s definitely on the increase from where I’m standing,” a unit supervisor with the Dorothy Day Center Mee Pierce said. Many women and children are on the streets because they are straying away from exploitation. Studies show that 30 percent of all homeless are women abused by their significant other.
According to the Women’s Shelters Organization, in Minnesota alone, there are about 49 battered women’s shelters scattered all over the state. There is a capacity of about 1,410 people in these shelters and over 8,030 women and children are turned away from these shelters because there is simply not enough room.
Living on the streets in Uptown, lives a 78 year old man named Charlie. He has been without a home for about four years now because he suffers from Parkinson’s disease and has been unable to hold a job for more than a few months at a time. On November 15, Charlie had his seventy eighth birthday.
“I normally don’t ever celebrate it because I have no one to celebrate it with. It gets lonely sometimes, honestly, but I guess I don’t mind,” Charlie said.
Teenagers should not have to experience homelessness. I mean, no one should, but just one teen is one too many.
— Carol Arthur, executive director at The Domestic Abuse Project
Visiting Uptown for the evening, junior at Maple Grove High School, Amani Mmari, met Charlie on his evening adventure.
On the night the two met, Mmari felt compelled to spark a conversation with Charlie in hopes to hear about his life and the hardships he has gone through. Shortly after the two gentlemen started talking, Charlie mentioned that they had met on his birthday. Immediately Mmari asked if Charlie would like to get dinner with him, to celebrate his birthday. After Charlie accepted, Mmari went into the nearby McDonalds and ordered two Mcdoubles, a large frie, and a large coffee for him. Charlie could not contain the smile on his face. He was overjoyed and finally got to spend his birthday with a friend.
“We all need help, but we do not have enough people in the world to help everybody who’s in need. What we can do is help with the little bit we have, because there are people out there who do not have the little bit we have, ya know?” Mmari said.
Mmari had the courage to step up and treat Charlie like a human being, which is something many people would not do. There are hundreds of ways to help support the homeless. Local organizations, like IOCP for example, will take donations of clothes, food or houseware for those that are less fortunate.
Volunteering is also another great and easy way to help. Located in Minneapolis is an organization called People Serving People and their goal is to serve homeless children and their families and provide new opportunities for healthy, stable family life. Another way to help them is to just smile at them and acknowledge them, even the simplest things can change someone’s day.
As a community, it is necessary to come together and help those who are down.
“Love is not patronizing and charity isn’t about pity, it is about love. Charity and love are the same — with charity you give love, so don’t just give money but reach out your hand instead,” Mother Teresa said.
Skylar’s interest for journalistic writing blossomed her sophomore year, when she took Journalism I. Skylar would describe herself as an awkward and...
