Ongoing talking circles help inform future planning on the homeless response system in Northwest Minnesota
Nothing for us without us.
Essentially, this phrase means that no effort should be implemented for a population without that population’s direct participation in the decision-making process – and this is a core value of the Northwest Continuum of Care, a collaborative planning body that oversees the homelessness response system in Northwest Minnesota.
(Note: The Northwest Minnesota Foundations hosts the NWCoC as the “collaborative applicant” for funding from the federal government.)
Having established a goal to prevent and end youth homelessness in Northwest Minnesota, the NWCoC has embarked on an intentional effort to better understand the journey through homelessness by capturing the perspectives of those who have lived through homelessness and housing insecurity.
This work required a significant amount of trust- and relationship-building between those who have experienced homelessness and their supportive housing service providers. Leading with a trauma-informed approach to these conversations proved both invaluable and necessary to create safe spaces for these conversations.
TALKING CIRCLES
In May and April, the NWCoC hosted multiple Community Talking Circles to hear from young adults, primarily focused on those 25 years old and younger. Many young adults shared multiple identities, including youth who identified as Black, Indigenous, African, Hispanic, Somali, and Hmong.
Many young adults shared that they became homeless for the first time when their family members succumbed to chemical addiction. Other young adults shared that their experiences with homelessness began when their family went through a major crisis, such as a fire or terminal illness. Some shared that their experiences with homelessness began when they struggled with domestic violence and abuse.
“The first time I because homeless it was because of a very toxic relationship. It was my first time being with anyone.”
Almost all young adults shared that their family’s lived experience with homelessness began when a crisis hit their community.
“We became homeless when my parents came to the United States. We were fleeing our home-country. We have been here for three years now.”
WHO BENEFITS?
Talking Circle participants were compensated not just for their time, but in recognition of the great value their experiences have in educating our region about homelessness experiences.
Further, while the stories will inform the NWCoC and potentially affect future decision-making, the trust- and relationship-building will also prove beneficial in the future.
“By creating a space for youth to be heard, the NWCoC can build connections and relationships with the neighboring young adults needing services,” said Margret Treuer, NMF program officer. “These events allow the NWCoC to garner community input and create space for youth to make decisions about the systems by which they are served. Youth choose to trust us with their stories. The benefit of these talking circles is based in reciprocity and trust.”
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
The NWCoC is working with JFC Strategic Services, which will develop a journey service map of the homeless response system for young adults, which will allow for targeted planning and system improvements in Northwest Minnesota.
While the planning work is expected to be completed this month, the NWCoC will continue hosting talking circles into the future.
“By hosting these Community Talking Circles in Northwest Minnesota, we can learn and create a space for youth to be heard,” Margret said.
HOMELESSNESS IN NORTHWEST MINNESOTA
As of 2022, 771 youth and young adults aged 18-24 are living in a state of homelessness or housing insecurity in the state of Minnesota. Within the NWCoC, 48 percent of the homeless population is represented by people who identify as Indigenous youth. According to a 2015 survey through the Wilder Foundation, 68 percent of all youth experiencing homelessness were housed through a social or correctional placement.
Most young adults who participated in an NMF community talking circle expressed that their journey through homelessness began when they were as young as 4 years old.
Long-term housing insecurity can prolong the trauma young adults must go through, and directly influences developmental growth and decision-making skills.
One participant shared:
“I started drinking, then I started smoking. Then I was going to work late and falling behind on my rent. After I lived with my mom, I went back to school. When I started going to school, I learned how to get job training and got to be where I am now.”
Many young adults expressed that their first experiences with trauma began at a very young age and continue to influence their ability to find housing today by affecting their mental health, relationships, and chemical health.
One participant shared:
“Growing up, I had kind of always experienced a lot of traumatic events. I don’t like to see it, and it’s different when it happens to you. Having to cope with PTSD means also coping with a lot of drug issues, which could be anything. In my case, I was using when I was younger, because the adults in my life told me it would help my PTSD. When my relationships started going bad, I went to a psych ward. After that, I was bed-hopping and staying in a violent neighborhood. It felt like it was the same environment as before. Because of everything that happened, I couldn’t find safe housing. When I stayed with (a) relative, they helped me find housing.”
There is a complicated intersectionality between homelessness and interactions with many social service systems, such as chemical health, incarceration, mental health, foster care systems, and education. This intersectionality speaks to the systemic issues behind homelessness.
Many young adults shared that community members don’t seem to care about youth homelessness.
One participant shared:
“I’ve been homeless two separate times, as early as when I was 3 years old. And a lot of people don’t really seem to care. A lot of people look down on you.”
ENDING HOMELESSNESS
The NWCoC’s goal of preventing and ending youth homelessness must allow for continuous improvement. This means ending the stigma around homelessness.
Ending and preventing homelessness requires that there is a system in place that can rapidly respond to the community’s needs for safe, affordable housing and supportive services.
In Northwest Minnesota, more than 138 young adults accessed supportive services for the first time in 2022.
“This shows that the need for supportive housing services is significant for young adults right now,” Margret said. “This means that the goals around youth homelessness may not have a linear path or journey. By developing a journey map for these services, the NWCoC can more clearly understand how to build a system that effectively ends youth homelessness.”
