An estimated six-thousand Minnesota youth on their own experience homelessness on any given night. Michelle Decker Gerrard is with Wilder Research and says this includes an estimated 2,500 minors age 17 and younger, and 3,500 young adults age 18-to-24…
“Nearly three-quarters of our youth population are youth of color.”
Decker Gerrard says the biggest barrier is a lack of affordable housing across the state…
“The average rent in the Twin Cities for an apartment.. for a one bedroom apartment is almost 800-dollars a month. And in Greater Minnesota it’s like 558 dollars a month. And most of these youth don’t have that kind of income to be able to pay that kind of money for rent.”
Decker Gerrard says another thing that might surprise people is that 26-percent of youth who are on their own and homeless have children with them.
To view the full youth homeless report in Minnesota click here.
Full Interview with MNN’s Tasha Redel and Michelle Decker Gerrard: