Who is homeless in MN?

Of the 9,000 individuals who experience homelessness each night, about 7,000 are “fortunate” enough to receive shelter from a variety of homeless service providers across the state, according to a number of quarterly shelter surveys conducted by the Department of Human Services over the past few years. Unfortunately, due to inadequate resources, sheltering programs turn away about 1,000 individuals each night. Worse yet, neither of these numbers include the hundreds of individuals who spend the night in a place not meant for human habitation, such as under a bridge or in a car.

Children and unaccompanied youth regularly account for nearly half of those sheltered and turned away.

Shelter numbers do not completely represent the homeless population as many are forced to live outside and / or “double up” in very short-term and unstable housing arrangements.

For more information, visit:

• Facts on homelessness compiled by the MN Coalition for the Homeless
• The Wilder Research Center survey on homelessness