Minnesota HF3377/SF3155
PILOT PROGRAM FOR CHOSEN FAMILY HOSTING TO PREVENT YOUTH HOMELESSNESS
The 2022 Minnesota House Human Services Finance and Policy omnibus bill included $1 million to pilot chosen family hosting!
Read the bill language.
Download our HF3377/SF3155 1-pager and Download our case study.
Watch the presentation of HF3377 at the Preventing Homelessness Division hearing in the House on March 9, 2022
Read “Grant program could aid those taking in homeless youth” in Minnesota House Session Daily, March 9, 2022
Watch the presentation of HF3377 in the Human Services Finance and Policy committee of the House on March 29, 2022.
Watch the presentation of SF3155 at the Committee on Human Services Reform Finance and Policy hearing in the Senate on March 10, 2022 (Our bill was heard at 09:43)
25% of homeless Minnesota adults first became homeless when they were 18-24 years old
Helping young people successfully transition into adulthood prevents chronic homelessness.
Where do most young adults live today?
61% of 18-24 year-olds live with their parents
But what if living with parents is not an option? Where do young people in need stay?
Many stay with “chosen family,” such as families of friends, neighbors, or extended family.
How stable are “chosen family” hosting arrangements?
While both youth and hosts report these can be deeply meaningful relationships, hosts often report financial stress. In particular, hosts who are renters sometimes risk their own housing when, for example, hosting a young person they care about violates their lease’s guest policy.
HF3377/SF3155 asks Minnesota to invest $8M in chosen family hosting over the next 4 years.
Through a competitive grant process, providers across the state will become chosen family hosting support sites, providing financial stipends and ongoing case management to stabilize informal hosting arrangements. This approach has a proven track record of success at HOPE 4 Youth in Anoka! A mandated evaluation will establish cost-effectiveness and efficacy.
Chosen Family Hosting
- An inexpensive upstream approach that “catches” homelessness early, preventing adult homelessness and ongoing dependency on much more expensive interventions.
- A strategy Minnesota has already prioritized, but hasn’t been able to implement.
- A great model for rural and tribal areas where transportation is a challenge and providing centralized services can be impractical: Stabilize young people where they already are.
- Honors the enduring importance of family, recognizing that even young people who cannot rely on their immediate family thrive with intergenerational support: 35% of youth facing homelessness have experienced the death of a parent or caregiver.
- The single most important action we can take to reduce the overrepresentation of Black, Indigenous and Youth of Color who face homelessness. Invest in renters who host.
- Strengthens the informal support networks that are a point of pride in rural areas and BIPOC communities: We watch out for each other and take care of our own.
- A form of Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing (NOAH) that is more cost-effective than strategies that require capital investment, building maintenance, and 24/7 staff coverage.
For citations and statistic references, please check out our HF3377/SF3155 1-pager
CloseKnit is a proud member of the Minnesota Homes for All Coalition, which advocates for investment across the housing continuum. Homes for All has endorsed HF3377/SF3155 on its support agenda.
CloseKnit also supports the legislative agenda of the Minnesota Youth Services Network.