We love your donations, but we also want them to go to good use! We’ll update the website again once we’re ready for more and in the meantime, please feel free to contact Kathleen Smith, Communications and Volunteer Coordinator, with any questions at 612-252-1211 or smith4@youthlinkmn.org.

Located at 41 North 12th Street in Minneapolis the Youth Opportunity Center at YouthLink offers youth experiencing homelessness a geographically accessible location near much-needed public transportation.  As you may be aware, our site was included in the Linden Avenue option for the new Vikings stadium.

Our partnership with our Board of Directors, Heading Home Hennepin, the county, community and state agencies, youth service agencies, and private and individual stakeholders solidify that the Youth Opportunity Center model will remain strong.  With more than 20 partners onsite, the center will soon open for extended hours as a result of an investment by the Otto Bremer Foundation.

Since the Youth Opportunity Center opened in 2011, the number of youth accessing basic needs and crisis intervention services has nearly doubled.

Collaborative services on site include: basic needs, case management, education support services, career and employment services, mental health care, housing referrals, health and dental clinics, legal aid, county eligibility support services, and arts and cultural opportunities. We are excited to move this model forward along with our friends and partners.

YouthLink staff and our Youth Opportunity Center partners are more focused than ever on being a responsive, effective resource to help end youth homelessness in the future.  We appreciate your support and confidence in YouthLink and the Youth Opportunity Center.

If you have any questions or need additional information please don’t hesitate to contact Dr. Heather Huseby, Executive Director, at huseby@youthlinkmn.org, or Frances Roen, Director of Development, at 612-252-1283 or roen@youthlinkmn.org. You can also log-on to our website at www.youthlinkmn.org for up-to-date information.

We look forward to continuing our dedication to homeless young people (ages 16-23) to provide them with the tools needed to build a solid framework for empowerment, self-reliance and healthy connections. Again, thank you for being an important part of the work happening here.

More than a decade ago, YouthLink purchased its current facility located at 41 North 12th Street in Minneapolis. This site is part of the proposed Linden Avenue site option for the new Vikings stadium.

YouthLink serves more than 2,000 homeless and at-risk youth annually. Hennepin County and private funders continue to make significant investments in YouthLink; most recently this included major investments to renovate the facility to host the multi-service Youth Opportunity Center, a priority recommendation of the Heading Home Hennepin plan.

As a result, more than 20 community partners are now onsite with YouthLink to more efficiently connect with this highly vulnerable population of young people. The renovated facility is an accessible, award-winning site positioned geographically to reach the highest number of homeless youth.

The proposed Linden Avenue option for the new Vikings stadium directly involves the YouthLink site.   The leadership of YouthLink, our board of directors, Heading Home Hennepin leadership and other key community stakeholders are working together to determine the impact of this option on services, our 40 employees, 20 onsite community partners and, of course, on the young people we serve.

We remain steadfast and focused on our mission and vision.  Our commitment to provide homeless youth and youth-in-crisis with a safe, responsive and supportive range of services designed to open doors to futures of empowerment, self-reliance and connectedness is stronger than ever.  Our advocacy for homeless youth and youth-in-crisis not only continues but will be strengthened in the future.

Questions about YouthLink and the Youth Opportunity Center can be directed to Frances Roen, Director of Development by email: roen@youthlinkmn.org or by phone: 612-252-1283 or to Dr. Heather Huseby, Executive Director by email: huseby@youthlinkmn.org.

Concerns about the proposed Linden Avenue site can be directed to your county commissioner, city council representative and/or your legislator.

Here is how you can help:

Call Governor Dayton’s Office: 651-201-3400

Contact your State Legislator 
Find contact info for your State Senator and State Representative

If you live in Hennepin County: 
Call your County Commissioner

http://www.startribune.com/politics/blogs/137518508.html

Here is how you can help:

Call Governor Dayton’s Office: 651-201-3400

Contact your State Legislator
Find contact info for your State Senator and State Representative

If you live in Hennepin County:
Call your County Commissioner

YouthLink Greatly Affected by Linden Ave. Stadium Proposal

Plan Proposes the Demolition of the Nonprofit’s Building

 Minneapolis, MN.  January 12, 2012—YouthLink, a 30 year old nonprofit agency focused on transitioning homeless youth and youth in crisis to self-reliance, stability and empowerment is concerned about the proposed Vikings stadium site on Linden Ave.  

The agency provides a safe location and supportive community of resources for youth served. More than than 2,000 youth (ages 16-23) visit YouthLink annually. The organization is an intentional part of the City-County’s Heading Home Hennepin plan to eliminate homelessness. 

Sadly, the proposed football stadium on Linden Ave. would include the demolition of YouthLink. 

 Significant public and private investments have been made in YouthLink at its current location.  A $1.4 million renovation was just completed to increase youth access to services.  Hennepin County invested more than $700,000 of the total to bring the vision of the Youth Opportunity Center to reality. 

This has resulted in a network of community services being located under one roof at the YouthLink site.  In addition, the Otto Bremer Foundation recently made a significant investment to increase availability of services, including increased hours of operation.  They have been at their current location on N 12^th Street in Minneapolis for 12 years. 

Commenting on the current proposal, Executive Director Dr. Heather Huseby said, “We support the Vikings and what they bring to our state, but this proposed plan would be devastating to so many given the investments that have been made and the population served.  The bottom line is that the Linden Avenue plan would mean that the young people we serve would lose an accessible, safe oasis; and, of course, they will experience the elimination of yet another opportunity for hope and change.”

 YouthLink urges those with concerns to notify a commissioner, city council person or legislator. 

 About YouthLink

YouthLink builds healthy relationships with youth and the community to address youths’ urgent needs so that doors of opportunity are opened to futures of empowerment, connectedness, and self-reliance. They serve as a critical resource for homeless, precariously housed and marginalized young people ages 16 to 23 by providing a safe, supportive refuge where youth can find help meeting basic needs.  You can find more information at www.YouthLinkMN.org.

Here is how you can help:

Call Governor Dayton’s Office: 651-201-3400

Contact your State Legislator
Find contact info for your State Senator and State Representative

If you live in Hennepin County:
Call your County Commissioner

Chili’s Pepper Partner Voucher

YouthLink was awarded a three year grant, totaling $619,167. Over the course of those three years, YouthLink will receive $255,000 in the first year, $115,000 in the second year with another $76,000 earned as a two-for-one match, and $115,000 in the third year with an additional $57,000 as a one-for-one match.

Through this substantial investment, the Otto Bremer Foundation will help youth experiencing homelessness gain greater access to daytime support and connections to health, education and employment opportunities. The funds from the Foundation are an investment in a solution for resolving youth homelessness and focus on community involvement and commitment, and collaboration among organizations serving youth.

Specifically, this generous support from the Otto Bremer Foundation will help YouthLink expand the reach of the new Youth Opportunity Center to provide a wider range of services for young people accessing county shelters from 8am – 2pm, Monday through Friday. This proposed effort will address critical gaps homeless youth (16-21) and, in particular, those young people (18-23) who have been forced, out of desperation, to stay at one of the adult shelters due to the lack of emergency beds for youth.

With support from the Otto Bremer Foundation, these young people will have access to existing crisis/basic needs drop-in center interventions, as well as YOC on-site partner services for mental health, eligibility, education and employment supports. Bob Nelson, Program Operations Manager for YouthLink, says this grant is “a terrific opportunity to make an impact on this population as they mature into adults, and help them exit the cycle of homelessness.”

The Youth Opportunity Center provides a one-stop shop for homeless youth to access resources including basic needs, mental and physical health care, employment and education supports, and housing stability. The only model of its kind in the nation, YouthLink looks forward to expanding the reach of the Youth Opportunity Center to more effectively serve young people experiencing homelessness in our community and effect systemic change here and in other parts of the nation.

For updates on how the Foundation’s grant is making an impact, connect with YouthLink on Facebook and Twitter. To learn more about the Otto Bremer Foundation, visit their website or follow them on Twitter. For a press release on the Foundation’s grant awards, click here.