YouthLink Overnight Staff Provides Hope Through Darkness

Every night while most of us are going to sleep, there is a group of empathetic and persistent employees at YouthLink endeavoring to help some of the most vulnerable members of our community – teens and young adults experiencing homelessness. “Youth come in at all times,” said Perris Johnson, YouthLink’s Overnight Supervisor. “From providing a safe space in the evening to finding them shelter for the night, our end goal is to help them out.”

Due to a grant from the Frey Foundation last year, YouthLink was able to expand their hours to include overnights for the first time in their history. When many other places were closing their doors due to the pandemic (heightening the need for assistance), the downtown Minneapolis nonprofit added 5,110 additional hours of service to youth who are 90% BIPOC. Their onsite chef also adapted meal delivery options due to COVID, making nearly 42,000 meals available to go.

“The overnight staff treated me like family,” said Antoine*, 23, who bounced between shelters before getting assistance at YouthLink to find an apartment. “I don’t know what I would have done without them giving me a step forward.”

YouthLink is not a shelter so often when young people come in throughout the evening the staff’s foremost responsibility is to find them suitable housing for the night. “Sometimes it can be a challenge to explain why they can’t just stay here,” said Quintez Johnson, YouthLink’s Overnight Advocate. “We let them know we’re not trying to get rid of them, we’re trying to help them as much as we can.”

Emergencies do come up though, especially during the winter. During brutally cold temperatures, the flexible space in YouthLink’s building may serve as a temporary respite for the night as a last resort. Staff are also joined by a security officer to assist with clients who may come in with substance abuse issues or want to be disruptive in general. “People need to sleep – we’re not going to let anyone hang out in the drop-in center at midnight,” said Perris.

“I tell young people that we are trying to help them out but I can’t fight for them more than they want to fight for themselves,” said Quintez. “We’re here to be a stepping stone.” So the next time you wake up in the middle of the night, know that the staff at YouthLink will be hard at work providing resources for others in our community.

Want to help YouthLink stay open to provide a safe space to young people experiencing homelessness in our community? As a nonprofit we rely on financial contributions from individuals like you. Please consider donating today!

*Name has been changed to protect client privacy