Carl knows his way around lots of professional kitchens, but he found his calling cooking for YouthLink’s Drop-In Center, where he has presided as chef and kitchen manager for 20 years. Carl has supervised the creation of tens of thousands of meals for young people experiencing homelessness. “Good food is a great way to break down…
November is national Youth Homelessness Awareness month. Why is focusing on youth homelessness so important? Because 1,800 unaccompanied young people will experience homelessness tonight in Minnesota. At YouthLink, we take pride in sharing the individual stories of the inspirational youth we meet every day, but if you take a look at the bigger picture, you…
Kim and Dan Glienke are changing young people’s lives for the better. But, much like the young people who walk through YouthLink’s doors, their involvement has been a journey. It started with a simple invitation. Dan and Kim first heard about YouthLink through their church, and were invited by a friend to attend a small…
When young people move out of our supportive housing sites, we know they’re moving on to bigger and better things. For the new residents moving in, we try to make their transition as smooth and welcoming as possible. But one former resident took our jobs to the next level when he left a note in…
Youth will soon have another opportunity to connect to educational pathways thanks to a new collaboration with the GED Testing Service and the Minnesota Literacy Council to add onsite GED testing and additional GED tutors to YouthLink’s community of resources. 67% of YouthLink clients* identified educational support as critical to their progress, yet many barriers…
The Youth Opportunity Center (YOC) at YouthLink, part of the City of Minneapolis and Hennepin County’s initiative to end homelessness, will celebrate its fifth anniversary in 2016. In that short time, this unique model of collaboration has grown from five service providers, before the YOC’s inception, to twenty-seven today, with others on the horizon. The…
Earning your high school diploma or getting your GED is no small feat when you’re experiencing homelessness, but on June 17th we celebrated a group of youth who did just that. One family of donors provides the highlight of our graduation ceremony each year. The Tiffany L. Harmon Memorial Scholarships, created in remembrance of…
On June 17th we had one of our favorite events – our annual graduation ceremony to celebrate youth who received their high school diploma, earned their GED, or completed a postsecondary certification or training course while experiencing homelessness. It was a moving ceremony complete with graduation march, certificates of achievement, youth and community speakers, and…
Parenting is one of life’s greatest joys—and struggles. After all, we all want what’s best for our children, but how can you provide “the best” when your family is also struggling with homelessness? This Mother’s Day, you can help young mothers who have come to YouthLink in search of resources by making a donation to…
When you want to let off steam or lose a few pounds, where do you turn? If you’re like most people in our community, you lace up your tennis shoes and head to the gym. This spring, we are asking you to help make physical fitness and access to simple things like a gym or…
