Minneapolis, MN
Concerns rise after Minneapolis clears large homeless encampment near Eat Street
![Concerns rise after Minneapolis clears large homeless encampment near Eat Street](https://assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com/hub/i/r/2023/12/07/82b55e27-c1db-4ba1-86e4-0fa6f0517b93/thumbnail/1200x630/355d9c7ecef7af2ddb851172804e6c9b/eat-street-homeless-encampment-cleared-minneapolis.png?v=170b469460f9b5b4a2670b02bb591e2d)
MINNEAPOLIS — City crews cleared a big homeless camp near a Minneapolis dining destination Wednesday.
They needed heavy machinery to move out all the garbage that had piled up near 29th and Nicollet, close to Eat Street.
For weeks, WCCO has reported on Eat Street restaurant owners in Minneapolis trying to get the city’s attention about the encampment.
READ MORE: Business owners on Eat Street frustrated over lack of response to homeless encampment
But now the question: where do the people go?
“To be honest, there’s not a lot of options,” said David Andrews, the program manager with Agate Housing and Services’ street outreach team.
He says they’ll “probably find someplace else and then we’ll play this game again.”
“I’ll put it out there that each time this is very traumatizing to people,” Andrews said. “They have to rebuild every time.”Andrews says the number of available shelter beds varies night to night, but they’re limited.
Council Member Jamal Osman said at a council meeting this week that cycle is bad for everyone.
“My solution is for us to consider having a regulated, safe, sleeping and storage site,” Osman said. “A place these folks can stay.”
Osman didn’t respond to WCCO’s interview request about the idea.
“We’ve seen things like this in other parts of the country,” Andrews said. “It really depends on the circumstances. At this point, it’s worth trying.”
Some neighbors near Eat Street like Osman’s idea too.
“If they’re getting moved out [of] here, then where else would they go?” said Preston Branch, who lives by the former encampment. “Probably to another place where they’re going to get moved out again. It doesn’t seem like a solution.”
WCCO asked the city if it would consider Osman’s idea but didn’t get a response.
The city’s committed $1 million toward building more tiny homes in south Minneapolis, similar to the ones in North Loop.
The city’s statement on Wednesday’s clearing:
“The City’s Homeless Response Team (HRT) and other community partners have done outreach at the encampment before today’s closure, providing information about how to connect to Hennepin County services, including shelter options. Yesterday, 12 people at the encampment declined services. The HRT team has also provided people with water and gloves while on site.
“Homeless encampments are illegal in Minneapolis and pose significant safety and public health risks to unsheltered people and surrounding communities. The City’s focus, along with our County and State partners, is to get everyone into stable, safe, dignified, long-term housing. You can learn more about the HRT team and the City’s response to homelessness on the City’s website.”
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Minneapolis, MN
MPD need help finding missing 8-year-old Kaiyan Wright
![MPD need help finding missing 8-year-old Kaiyan Wright](https://assets3.cbsnewsstatic.com/hub/i/r/2024/06/16/39b8c126-9b26-40a0-a6de-a044159178bc/thumbnail/1200x630/154445ce5dd107c742aa86cac0f96652/kaiyan-wright.jpg?v=5842509bb796a146f9b20d3e8b03dac6)
MINNEAPOLIS — update: Police say that the 8-year-old has been found safe.
Original story:
Minneapolis Police are asking for the public’s help in finding a missing 8-year-old.
Police say that he was last seen around 4 P.M. Saturday near 34th and Emerson Avenue North. He was riding a green electric scooter at the time.
According to police, Wright was wearing a maroon sweatshirt, blue shorts and red and white croc shoes.
He is 5’3″ and has brown hair.
Police say that anyone who sees Kaiyan is asked to call 911 immediately.
Minneapolis, MN
Woman critically injured in shooting near encampment
![Woman critically injured in shooting near encampment](https://kstp.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/MPLS-ENCAMPMENT-SHOOTING_PKG_00.00.50.28.jpg)
A woman in her 20s was seriously injured after a shooting near an encampment in Minneapolis on Saturday.
A spokesperson for Minneapolis police said officers responded to the 2800 block of Park Avenue around 6 p.m. on a report of a shooting.
Law enforcement on Park Avenue found evidence of gunfire while the victim was located in an encampment on Columbus Avenue and 28th Street.
She was brought to Hennepin Healthcare for treatment of a life-threatening injury, according to Minneapolis police.
There have been no arrests or word on what led up to the shooting.
Minneapolis, MN
Bridge for Youth begins $700K renovation at Minneapolis shelter spaces
![Bridge for Youth begins $700K renovation at Minneapolis shelter spaces](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/OXJDTMAJJZEPJWEL3RBT5XZQR4.jpg?h=630&w=1200&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
A Minneapolis nonprofit serving homeless youth will begin a $700,000 makeover of two of its shelters this summer, capping a multiyear effort that invited shelter residents into the design process.
The Bridge for Youth provides support services and temporary housing for teens and young parents. Its two emergency shelters, Resilience House and Gloria’s Place, share a building at 1111 W. 22nd St. in Minneapolis. The first phase of demolition is underway, and renovations are set to begin in the coming weeks.
Resilience House provides 24-hour shelter, case management, food and health care for youths ages 10-17. Gloria’s Place is the only emergency shelter in Minnesota for pregnant teens and teen parents ages 15-17; it has space for up to six families.
According to the agency, 50% of young people experiencing homelessness in Hennepin County are pregnant or have children.
The building was purchased and first renovated nearly 16 years ago, Executive Director Lisa Mears said. Since then, it has been “feeling fatigued,” she said. This summer’s renovations will include new flooring, paint and furniture.
Another major reason for the renovation was to incorporate design feedback from current and former shelter residents. The designs are aimed to create spaces “where youth can heal and feel safe” from personal traumatic experiences, Mears said.
In 2021, three Dunwoody College students were brought onto the project to craft designs that would inspire the renovations. Carissa Friendshuh, Marco Salazar and Austin Rastall were fifth-year architecture students who spent about a year working on designs. They interviewed shelter residents, did research and toured the facility.
The students worked to make the facility feel more open and comfortable. Their designs were intentional about lighting, colors and having nooks tucked away for privacy within shared spaces.
“You want to be in a space that’s inviting, that feels safe, that feels secure, but also you’re able to get some freedom in it,” Rastall said. That concept was carried throughout the design decisions, he added.
Salazar said working on the project was a “full circle” moment because his sister was a shelter resident several years ago.
The Legislature last year provided $500,000 for the renovations, and the Bridge added $200,000.
The nonprofit this year campaigned unsuccessfully at the Capitol for $3.5 million to add 15 transitional housing units to a current facility, Marlene’s Place, and 24 non-time limited supportive housing units at a new site. Mears said Bridge officials are discussing their next steps.
About the partnership
This story comes to you from Sahan Journal, a nonprofit newsroom dedicated to covering Minnesota’s immigrants and communities of color. Sign up for a free newsletter to receive Sahan’s stories in your inbox.
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