Press Room
MINNEAPOLIS -- Elected officials, community leaders, and housing and support services professionals gathered in Duluth for Heading Home Minnesota's Marking the Midpoint. The event acknowledges the achievement of creating more than 2,000 housing opportunities with support services for Minnesota individuals and families who are homeless.
"Reaching this goal is a significant accomplishment for Minnesota. For Minnesotans who are homeless, it means there are now more opportunities to stabilize their lives and gain access to the services they need to improve their situations," said Minnesota Housing Commissioner Tim Marx. "We know from research and what we hear from Minnesota's service providers, government officials and businesses that supportive housing not only has a real impact on people's lives, it also reduces public costs and builds healthier, more livable communities."
"Minnesota is making steady and significant progress in the effort to end homelessness," said Director for Ending Long-Term Homelessness in Minnesota Laura Kadwell. "We are now past the midpoint of the goal of Minnesota's Business Plan to End Long-Term Homelessness and are demonstrating that we can 'end' rather than simply 'manage' homelessness for individuals and families."
Minnesota's Business Plan to End Long-Term Homelessness was created by a working group appointed by Governor Tim Pawlenty in 2004. The goal of the Business Plan is to create 4,000 additional housing opportunities with support services for long-term homeless individuals and families by 2010. The plan is now one of the eight plans in the state that have been integrated into the Heading Home Minnesota statewide initiative to end homelessness.
Today's midpoint event was held at the New San Marco Apartments, a Duluth supportive housing facility that has received specific funding as part of an effort to end homelessness in Minnesota.
"We deliberately chose to have this event at the San Marco. First and foremost, it has had a great impact in this community and with turning lives around. San Marco serves as a model for the kind of supportive housing we need to create across Minnesota," said Heading Home Minnesota Executive Director Kit Hadley. "And, being in Duluth reminds everyone that homelessness is an issue statewide."
According to Wilder Research, over 9,000 Minnesotans are homeless each night. Thirty percent live outside the Twin Cities metro area.
ABOUT HEADING HOME MINNESOTA
"Reaching this goal is a significant accomplishment for Minnesota. For Minnesotans who are homeless, it means there are now more opportunities to stabilize their lives and gain access to the services they need to improve their situations," said Minnesota Housing Commissioner Tim Marx. "We know from research and what we hear from Minnesota's service providers, government officials and businesses that supportive housing not only has a real impact on people's lives, it also reduces public costs and builds healthier, more livable communities."
"Minnesota is making steady and significant progress in the effort to end homelessness," said Director for Ending Long-Term Homelessness in Minnesota Laura Kadwell. "We are now past the midpoint of the goal of Minnesota's Business Plan to End Long-Term Homelessness and are demonstrating that we can 'end' rather than simply 'manage' homelessness for individuals and families."
Minnesota's Business Plan to End Long-Term Homelessness was created by a working group appointed by Governor Tim Pawlenty in 2004. The goal of the Business Plan is to create 4,000 additional housing opportunities with support services for long-term homeless individuals and families by 2010. The plan is now one of the eight plans in the state that have been integrated into the Heading Home Minnesota statewide initiative to end homelessness.
Today's midpoint event was held at the New San Marco Apartments, a Duluth supportive housing facility that has received specific funding as part of an effort to end homelessness in Minnesota.
"We deliberately chose to have this event at the San Marco. First and foremost, it has had a great impact in this community and with turning lives around. San Marco serves as a model for the kind of supportive housing we need to create across Minnesota," said Heading Home Minnesota Executive Director Kit Hadley. "And, being in Duluth reminds everyone that homelessness is an issue statewide."
According to Wilder Research, over 9,000 Minnesotans are homeless each night. Thirty percent live outside the Twin Cities metro area.
ABOUT HEADING HOME MINNESOTA
Heading Home Minnesota is a public-private partnership to end homelessness by supporting the success of Minnesota's Business Plan to End Long-Term Homelessness and seven regional Heading Home programs in Hennepin, Ramsey, Olmsted, and St. Louis counties as well as Central, Southwest and Southeast Minnesota. Heading Home Minnesota is working to end homelessness through innovative, unprecedented coordinated partnerships and with the support of the public, business, nonprofit, faith and philanthropic sectors. More information is available at http://www.headinghomeminnesota.org.
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