Racial Equity Accountability Project team captures personal stories of homelessness to aid in developing action plan to address racial disparities in homeless response system
These are just a few of the comments and stories captured through community talking circles with those who have lived through homelessness in Northwest Minnesota. Members of the Racial Equity Accountability Project team are listening to these personal experiences to understand and identify racial injustices in the homeless response system for this region.
The REAP team is primarily comprised of individuals who identify as Black, Indigenous, or persons of color, as well as individuals who have lived through homelessness or housing insecurity in Northwest Minnesota. They are the decision-makers for the Northwest Minnesota Continuum of Care, a regional planning body of stakeholders designed to promote a shared commitment to the goal of ending homelessness.
The REAP team is working to identify, dismantle, and de-colonize instances of racism within the regional homeless response system; specifically, they are focused on the region’s current system of coordinated entry, through which individuals access supportive housing services in the region. Coordinated entry includes an assessment process to determine a client’s needs, and prioritize services to the most vulnerable individuals.
The REAP team is developing an action plan for the NWCoC’s Coordinated Entry System, relying on both qualitative and quantitative data analysis, to implement a plan that will decrease racial disparities in the homeless response system.
Capturing personal stories is one method of gathering qualitative data; already, the team has collected quantitative data through data from the statewide Homeless Management Information System.
“Qualitative information is essential to capture the true, lived experiences of individuals that have lived through homelessness,” said Margret Treuer, Program Officer at Northwest Minnesota Foundation, which serves essentially as the host of the NWCoC. “We believe that individuals are more than just a number. By collecting the experiences and stories of people who have lived through homelessness, we can effectively understand the specific aspects of our homeless response system that are affecting racial injustices.”
‘Holding space for conversation and dialogue’
As REAP members sought to capture personal stories, the NWCoC contracted with Indigenous Visioning, an Indigenous-led organization focused on building strong tribal communities through local, statewide, and national partnerships. Indigenous Visioning’s role is to authentically lead and assist with hosting and facilitating the community talking circles.
“These stories will directly inform the coordinated entry system’s action plan, for which the REAP members are responsible for writing and implementing.” Margret said. “This means authentically listening to, and responding to the call for a homeless response system that focuses on racial justice.
To reduce barriers, the NWCoC provided each talking circle participant with a $100 Visa gift card.
“While this financial incentive is important, it is not the primary benefit of hosting community talking circles,” Margret stressed. “The NWCoC believes in authentically engaging individuals living through homelessness in the decision-making process. Individuals are empowered to make decisions for the systems by which they are directly served. We believe ‘nothing about us, without us’ is a phrase that should be carried into all aspects of our work. This means working to facilitate positive, strong relationships with all individuals living through homelessness and developing a system that is racially just. This starts with holding space for conversation and dialogue.”
What they heard
One individual shared that they didn’t feel safe accessing services because of the stigma of homelessness.
The whole process needs to improve. The feelings of shame I felt was often a result of county workers or even tribal workers looking at me like any other “poor Indian” just asking for free handouts. That right there pushed me away from asking for help and seeking resources.
Margret said that the REAP team believes that a safe space for open, honest conversation will help individuals to begin to feel more comfortable asking for services and seeking the help they need to achieve stable housing.
“When we create space for conversations with all who have lived through homelessness, we are able to de-stigmatize the experiences people live through,” she said. “This means approaching conversations in a way that centers individuals’ strengths with a trauma-informed approach, and elevates each individual’s humanity. Many individuals shared they felt hopeless, dehumanized, and ashamed when living through homelessness, and the system didn’t necessarily help.”
The talking circles also highlighted the complex systems that go into providing supportive housing services.
Margret said that many individuals expressed confusion and difficulty navigating the homeless response system.
One participant said: I had no idea what to fill out and how to understand the forms needed.
Another individual shared: Sometimes, it feels like nobody wants to hear my story because it makes them uncomfortable – people deserve dignity.
“By hosting these community talking circles, people’s stories become humanized in a dehumanizing system,” Margret said. “As a system, we must continue to approach conversations in a trauma-informed way that offers space for continuous improvement and learning.”
What now?
While neither the REAP team nor the NWCoC has all the answers needed for systemic change in the realm of homelessness, REAP’s action plan for the coordinated entry system is expected to be finalized in 2023 with implementation to follow for years to come.
“By practicing humility, and being in community, we can listen, and we can learn,” Margret said. “Developing a system that fits the social and racial needs of the region’s homeless population will be a fluid, complicated, and dynamic process.”
About the NWCoC
The Northwest Minnesota’s Continuum of Care is surrounded by three of the largest tribal nations in Minnesota (Red Lake Nation, White Earth Nation, and the Leech lake Band of Ojibwe).
The racial disparities within the homeless response system are striking. Currently, African American, Indigenous, Latinx (o)(a), and households of color experience homelessness at a rate that is 7 to 8 times higher than their representation within the general population. In 2020, nearly 72% of chronically homeless youth in Northwest Minnesota were Indigenous.
These statistics indicate that these disparities are a significant issue, relevant to the whole regional population, not just individuals who identify as indigenous.
Get involved!
Would you like to come to the table to help dismantle the racial injustices often seen in the homeless response system? The NWCoC is still seeking applicants to join the REAP team.
Members are compensated for their time at $25 per hour. In an effort to reduce barriers for participation, members are also eligible to receive compensation for anything needed to authentically participate (child care costs, transportation costs, computer equipment, etc.). The REAP team hosts monthly meetings on the third Monday of each month from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Meetings are held online, with in-person attendance optional.
Applications can be found HERE.
Applications can also be printed and sent to:
Margret Treuer: margret@nwmf.org
Northwest Minnesota Foundation
201 3rd Street NW
Bemidji, MN 56601
