When RieRie was 16 her mom and younger brother moved to her mom’s fiancé’s house. It was then that RieRie left her family. Reported as a runaway, RieRie ended up in and out of foster care, lived with an aunt, spent time at a runaway shelter, and pieced together her remaining years of high school. ...Read More →

We’re delighted to tell you the story of Rich, a young man in tough circumstances who has found his groove through YouthLink. Rich was just three years old when he was taken out of his home for his own safety. At seven, he was adopted by his foster parents. Younger siblings came along, and Rich ...Read More →

Ashley’s mother had addictions, and her behavior was unpredictable. When her mom lost parental rights because of child neglect, the little girl’s world became desperately fragmented. In spite of everything, she loved her mom—but found herself living with her grandparents. At 15, following her grandfather’s death, Ashley was determined to reconcile with her mother. To ...Read More →

Brittaney has had a rough year. Just 19, she was hospitalized in Minneapolis last fall for ulcerative colitis. She underwent surgery, emerged with an “ostomy” bag, dealt with painful and frustrating complications, and tried to get her head around what had just happened to her body.  But even before her illness, she was homeless. In ...Read More →

Youth Ambassador, Dametrea with board member, Stefanie Stefanie Galey works in the heart of the city, but as a busy partner at the large and prestigious law firm of Faegre & Benson, her demanding workload has always required her undivided attention. Focused and dedicated to her firm, Stefanie was unaware of the buzzing undercurrent of ...Read More →

Rich was just three years old when he was taken out of his home for his own safety. At seven, he was adopted by his foster parents. Younger siblings came along, and Rich grew up in the shelter of a caring family.  But after high school graduation, it was a different story. His adoptive family ...Read More →

We first met Derrick at YouthLink as a referral from his school counselor in the fall of 2009. He was struggling to consistently maintain his basic needs–like finding a warm bed and a hot meal. And, he was no longer living at home with his family.

My name is Micha Petty, and I am a former runaway. I and some who shared that part of my story recently began working on a memorial to those we knew whose stories are over, and it has been bringing the past to mind. I would now like to relay a bit of that experience.

My name is Brittany Gregory. And I’m a homeless youth.
Correction: I was a homeless youth. And I owe
a lot of that to the people at YouthLink.
I’ve been homeless since I was 16.
At 17, I was pregnant with my son, Marsean.
He passed away before he was born —
and I think about him every day.
I knew I needed help.

In this short video, Cathy ten Broeke, coordinator for the project to end youth homelessness with Hennepin County, talks about how a passionate and committed community of partners, providers and business and government leaders has come together to create one place where homeless youth could access housing, employment, health care and other services under one ...Read More →