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“I and my family were in a good place. We were happy. I had a good job making $19/hr in construction. We lived in a nice house and then things started to change- stress from losing my job and all sorts of things just started to go wrong. Everyone was impacted by the effects of these things and it seemed like there was no help in sight.”
— A man living at a shelter with his spouse and four children
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Who is homeless and why?

Very few people choose to be homeless. Rather, homelessness is much more often the result of lack of income, high cost of rent, loss of employment, waiting list for affordable units, strict requirements for applicants, and personal struggles such as chemical dependency, mental or physical health disabilities, and familial acceptance. A myriad of social and economic forces push people into homelessness, and keep them there, every day.

Here is a glimpse of Minnesota’s homeless population[1]:

  • There are an estimated 10,233 homeless adults, youth, and children in Minnesota every night

  • Almost half are youth 24 years old and under, either unaccompanied or with their parents

  • 60% of homeless adults have a serious mental illness and 48% have a chronic physical health condition; a huge percentage of both are effects of experiencing homelessness, not what led them into it

  • 40% of homeless adults have steady employment

  • People of color make up 66% of all those experiencing homelessness, even though they are only 16% of the state’s total population

  • 50% of homeless adults are currently on a waiting list for affordable housing, with an average wait time of one year

How much does homelessness cost?

Homelessness is expensive to the State and the taxpayer. Ensuring access to affordable housing for everyone is not only the right thing to do; it makes fiscal sense, too![2]

  • A “work up” and one night stay at Hennepin County Medical Center costs $2800

  • Booking and one night in jail costs $378

  • One night in detox costs $192

  • 30 minutes with a Minneapolis Police squad in an outdoor setting costs $40

  • One night in shelter costs $36 per person

  • One night in a $600 a month apartment costs $20.

[1] Wilder Research. Homelessness in Minnesota: Finding from the 2018 Statewide Survey. March 2019. 

[2] Costs from Hennepin County Medical Center, Hennepin County Jail, Hennepin County Detox, Salvation Army Shelter, and Minneapolis Police Department.