Youthlink MN Sign Up Information

Welcome to our community!

We'd like to introduce you to one of the unique individuals who has come through our doors!

Meet Leanna

But, after moving in with her adoptive mom and her 13-year-old son, life changed again. Her new mom married the boy’s father.

All should have been well, stable, and better for Leanna. But her new dad craved control. And so began Leanna’s long, lonely journey through betrayal and danger.

We'd love to introduce you to the rest of our community! Here are some of the best ways to do that:

Thank You

On June 10th, YouthLink held a "Restore and Recover CommUnity Gathering" to honor the life of George Floyd and support young people experiencing homelessness and the community. YouthLink collected donations the previous week and received an amazing response! Thanks to generous donors and volunteers, we were able to distribute many non-perishable food items, hygiene products, baby products, and more to the youth and other community members. Thank you to our partnership with Minneapolis MAD DADS for providing music and giving people a platform to share their thoughts. Amazing food was provided by YouthLink, Parlour, and Whiskey Inferno food trucks. We also received generous donations from companies and individuals including RBC Wealth Management, The Backpack Project, and Xcel Energy. Special thanks to all the staff and volunteers who made this positive event possible!

You can view our photos from the day on our Facebook page. Photography provided by Adja Gildersleve and Slade Kemmet Media.

Donate Items

Donate Money

• $30 covers the cost of a GED exam for a young person to further their education
• $50 feeds 5 youth for a day
• $75 covers the cost of one college application for a young person
• $100 provides one month of bus passes to transport a young person to important appointments, job interviews, etc.
• $200 provides a laptop to a young person for remote learning, job applications and connection to their YouthLink opportunity navigators during COVID-19
• $1,000 provides a security deposit for a young person seeking housing
• $5,000 could provide 6 months of rental assistance in stable, affordable housing for a young person
• $10,000 supports a young person's journey from homelessness to stable housing through our programs for 6 months
• $20,000 provides a housing advocate to support youth in navigating stable, affordable long-term housing

Youth Experiencing Homelessness Need IMMEDIATE COVID-19 Support 

Thank you for your past support of YouthLink and your concern for youth experiencing homelessness. You've heard Governor Walz start the "Shelter in Place" protocol, unfortunately, not everyone has the luxury of staying at home. That is why we need everyone to take action today! We need your help to ask the Minnesota State Legislature to pass a COVID-19 response package IMMEDIATELY that includes $50 Million of support for emergency shelters and $100 Million in rental assistance. Thanks to the Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless and Homes for All, we can directly support young people in our state that need help NOW. Please call or email your state legislators and urge them to support the Homes for All agenda. YouthLink will remain open to respond to the needs of the youth we serve. These are important pieces of legislation to help us provide the continuum of care for youth experiencing homelessness through this crisis.
 
Ways to Help:

• Call or email your representatives. Don't know who represents you, find out here.
• Sign the Homes for All Action Alert. Homes for All has a pre-written email that you can sign and it will be automatically sent to your representatives, sign here.  

To learn more about Homes for All, click here and you'll see members of the YouthLink team who recently carried this message of support for youth experiencing homelessness to the Capitol.

Please act TODAY to help our most vulnerable members of our community!
 
Thank you!
 
The entire YouthLink Team
 

Your support helps change lives

Our doors at YouthLink remain open 24 hours a day during the COVID-19 crisis to help the most at-risk among us - young people experiencing homelessness (18-24). We simply wouldn't be able to do this without continued support from you and other community members.
 
Each young person and every single parent with a young child/children has unique circumstances. Most have trauma-related anxiety, poor health from prior living situations, and PSTD from significant abuses in their lives. In addition to lack of housing or in unstable housing, they now have lost part-time service jobs and/or lost connections to social networks.    
 
Every day we touch the lives of more 150 youth through our drop-in and housing services. This past week, support from our community brought a light of hope to these youth by providing:

• Healthy groceries for more than 50 youth to survive for 2-weeks
• Medication co-pays for youth
• Electronic access to Wi-Fi to stay connected to school, case managers, mental and physical health providers and not be socially isolated
• Month supply of diapers and formula for infants and toddlers of single parents
• Transportation to and from YouthLink
• Gift cards for meal deliveries
   

Dr. Heather Huseby 
Executive Director
YouthLink
 

#GiveAtHomeMN & Giving Tuesday

Thank you to everyone who supports the YouthLink mission - supporting and empowering young people experiencing homelessness on their journey to self-reliance. We did not anticipate a world crisis like COVID-19 to throw more hurdles at these young people.

We''re asking that you donate during #GiveAtHomeMN during May 1-8th and #GivingTuesday on May 5th. It''s a week-long fundraising campaign here in Minnesota when your donation can help us get through this crisis. Your donation during this campaign can help provide:

• Healthy groceries and meal deliveries for youth in our drop-in, on the streets and in our housing sites
• Electronic access to Wi-Fi so youth can stay connected to school, case managers, mental and physical health providers
• Month supply of diapers and formula for infants and toddlers of single parents
• Medication copays
• Transportation to and from YouthLink
• Mental health and crisis intervention services
• Prepaid cellphones to keep us connected to the youth and ensure they are not socially isolated
• Laptops and tablets to continue virtual learning to maintain contact with our case managers to keep youth on their path towards success

Youth experiencing homelessness are resilient even in times like this, as they face significant barriers and lack of resources. It takes a community of donors like you and innovative service providers to help young people on their journey to stability and self-sufficiency.  

Thank you for supporting our mission in a time of crisis and believing in the young people we serve. Together we will get through this.

Dr. Heather Huseby 
Executive Director
YouthLink

Restore Recover CommUnity Gathering

This past week YouthLink has been collecting donations including non-perishable food items, hygiene supplies, baby products, and more. The Minneapolis community needs our help now more than ever. Now is the time to help restore and recover from the tragic death of George Floyd. We will be distributing these items to the community tomorrow, June 10th, from 11 am - 2:30 pm at 41 N 12th St, Minneapolis, MN 55403. Free food will be provided by YouthLink, Parlour, and Whiskey Inferno food trucks. Music will be provided by Minneapolis MAD DADS. All are welcome to attend. Join us for this special event to Restore and Recover our CommUnity! 

Volunteer

Donate Items

• Non-perishable food items
• Gift cards
• New t-shirts in men's and women's sizes
• New underwear in men's and women's sizes
• New socks
• Hygiene products
• Hand soap
• Hand sanitizer
• Sunscreen
• Cleaning supplies
• Deodorant
• Menstrual products
• Individual toothbrushes
• Toothpaste
• Baby diapers in all sizes
• Baby formula

Donate Money

• $30 covers the cost of a GED exam for a young person to further their education
• $50 feeds 5 youth for a day
• $75 covers the cost of one college application for a young person
• $100 provides one month of bus passes to transport a young person to important appointments, job interviews, etc.
• $200 provides a laptop to a young person for remote learning, job applications and connection to their YouthLink opportunity navigators during COVID-19
• $1,000 provides a security deposit for a young person seeking housing
• $5,000 could provide 6 months of rental assistance in stable, affordable housing for a young person
• $10,000 supports a young person's journey from homelessness to stable housing through our programs for 6 months
• $20,000 provides a housing advocate to support youth in navigating stable, affordable long-term housing

The holidays are upon us,

and we''d like to do something special for youth experiencing homelessness in Minneapolis, especially after all of the challenges of this past year. 

We need your support!

We would like to raise $5,000, which we'll then transfer directly into giftcards to distribute to youth and young families experiencing homelessness on Dec. 23^rd.

With your donation, you can help make the holiday season a little more merry & bright for these young people and families. 

Thank you for your generosity!

The Story of BR

For more than a year, YouthLink opportunity navigators have supported and guided "BR" (age 21) to move into his first independent living experience at Nicollet Square. Nicollet Square is an efficiency apartment and in partnership with the property owners at Beacon Interfaith Housing.
 
Upon moving in, BR had no independent living skills and YouthLink staff stepped in to teach him money management, apartment living, work readiness and ways to cope with his trauma-based depression and anxiety.
 
Unfortunately due to COVID-19 he lost his part-time job and found out he was going to lose his SSI benefits. He was on the right track: working, paying rent, and was building his support system within the community. And then COVID-19 hit and everything started to fall apart.
 
To add more hardship, BR's "prized" used bike recently blew a tire. He is an avid biker and his bike is important to him. His anxiety and sense of despair started to escalate. YL staff are now finding resources to help fix his bike, make sure his rent is handled, provide him with food and basic supplies, and are investigating new job opportunities. They will be with him to navigate these and other life challenges so that he can regain his successful path forward. 
 
BR is a resilient young person working hard to find his way out of homelessness to self-reliance and self-sufficiency. YouthLink will continue to support BR - and other youth experiencing homelessness - along their journey to achieving their hopes and dreams - both during and after COVID-19's impact. 
 
Your help makes a difference to youth who just need someone to help them believe in themselves. Will you be that person? Please consider a gift to YouthLink to help provide the services, resources, and guidance to help youth like BR navigate life's many challenges.
 
On behalf of BR and others like him, thank you.
 
Dr. Heather Huseby 
Executive Director
YouthLink
 

Give the Gift of Hope

Many have asked how to help. Youth experiencing homelessness are at the greatest risk of getting COVID-19. We need resources to do everything we can to help slow the spread of the virus among youth living on the streets, coming to our overnight drop-in, and/or residing in our housing units. Will you consider a gift to YouthLink to help us serve young people here in Minnesota?

When asked about COVID-19, David, a young man in our Drop-In Center said, "What difference does it make, I didn''t have any hope anyway!"

YouthLink believes every young person we reach deserves information, supplies, food, basic needs, resources for a safe refuge, and access to health care period. And in times of crisis, it''s even more of an emergency. Your gift now is a gift of hope for their future. Your donation provides us the opportunity to give hope to young people like David who, as places continue to close, feel even more alone and need our help. 

On behalf of the youth we serve, thank you for considering a gift to YouthLink!

With sincere gratitude, 

The YouthLink Family
 
 

You helped us raise $45,000!

Last week YouthLink asked the community to make a donation so we can continue to modify services for young people experiencing homelessness. COVID-19 has created many uncertain situations for youth who don''t have a place to call home. Luckily we had an anonymous donor who is matching $20,000 of our $20,000 goal. And guess what? We''ve already surpassed our goal in a matter of days bringing us to $45,000! Thank you to all who have shared our requests and continue to support our staff, youth, and community through this time.

YouthLink has been modifying services to keep our spirits up and started our "Creating Space Series" where we do live stream activities on our Facebook page. Today a participant named "D." shared, "I love you guys at YouthLink! I am now 28 but when I was 16 up until 18 this place was a safe haven for me and I was there before the reconstruction and shortly after. I remember the set up before the reconstruction. When I was a teenager and homeless, I use to grab a bowl of cereal and sit at a booth and eat. Whenever I got hungry I knew I could come here to eat for sure. God bless this place."

No matter what is going on in the world, the young people we serve come first. We continue to provide resources, supplies, food, basic needs, and access to health care. Your gifts help us continue in these times to help make futures for people like D. and many others still to come. 

With sincere gratitude, 

The YouthLink Family
 

"I always knew it was me against the world. That was the main thing in my head, that it''s me against the world. the only thing I''ve got is myself." 

#GivingTuesday

"Before YouthLink, I was pretty much homeless and I was going through the hardest times of my life. I probably could have been dead or in jail because I was going to be out there starving or I was going to do something illegal to help me stop from starving
and YouthLink helped a lot with that."

- Timothy, YouthLink client

Youth experiencing homelessness are in crisis every minute of the day. They don''t know where their next meal is coming from let alone where they are going to sleep at night. YouthLink is still open and will continue to be open to provide essential services - and a pathway to hope and long-term stability - to young people like Timothy who need it the most. Help young people like Timothy by donating to YouthLink during #GivingTuesday.

Thank you, 

Dr. Heather Huseby 
Executive Director
YouthLink

Support YouthLink During COVID-19

We reached our goal!

We raised $33,571 for YouthLink!

Yesterday''s Give to the Max Day was a huge success, thanks to donors and supporters like you! We had 208 donors pitch in to help us not only meet our goal, but surpass it! Your generosity paves the way for thousands of youth that come to YouthLink every year to have access to opportunities that can change the trajectory of their lives. 

We appreciate you taking the time to specifically support YouthLink during these challenging times, and we invite you to continue to be involved with us in the future. If you're interested in getting more involved, we have plenty of volunteer opportunities (both onsite and at-home), as well as in-kind donation needs if you're looking to host an undergarment or winter coat drive or do an Amazon Smile holiday shopping spree. We'd love to talk with you, your company, and your friends about even more ways we can partner together to better our community.

Stay safe and healthy! 

Sincerely, 
YouthLink 

Celebrate the Good

We wanted to take a moment and thank everyone who had donated to YouthLink this past week for #GiveAtHomeMN and #GivingTuesday. We know we can always lean on our community to help us keep moving forward. Your donations help change lives.

Recently, we had a young man move into one of our housing units without a job or source of income. YouthLink staff started working with him through the Work Fast program. Within two months, he was hired full-time at the airport, bought a car, and was promoted to a supervisor position. He was able to sell his car and bought a newer one to build up his credit, and work toward his dream of buying a house. He continues to pay his rent on time and is focusing on saving his money to continue to move forward in his success. 

When we help young people believe in themselves and give them the support they need, they can do great things. Today is the last day to donate during #GiveAtHomeMN and we hope you can help us continue to support young people experiencing homelessness and those on their journey to self-reliance. 

Thank you, 

Dr. Heather Huseby 
Executive Director
YouthLink

Donate Auction Items

Sponsor the Gala

• Platinum Sponsor $15,000
• Gold Sponsor $10,000
• Music Sponsor $5,000
• Silver Sponsor $2,500
• Virtual Table Sponsor $1,250

YouthLink Gets National Attention

Reg Chapman (WCCO) interviewed YouthLink Executive Director, Dr. Heather Huseby to learn more about how we''re helping young people experiencing homelessness during the COVID-19 pandemic. YouthLink recently received a $1,000 donation from national CBS TV talk show host, Sheryl Underwood through her Helping Hand initiative. Sherly is asking others to donate to YouthLink and help support our community. You can watch the full interview here.   
 
For questions about the work YouthLink is doing during this COVID-19 crisis, please reach out to Karen Rose and/or Dr. Heather Huseby; information about ways to help can be found at www.youthlinkmn.org

COVID-19 Impact on Youth

Tonight Reg Chapman (WCCO CBS Local News reporter) interviews YouthLink Executive Director, Dr. Heather Huseby. Reg is focusing on the impact of COVID-19 on youth experiencing homelessness and the special attention YouthLink recently received from national CBS TV talk show host, Sheryl Underwood. 

Tonight's interview was sparked by a surprise, special $1,000 donation to YouthLink we received last Friday from Sheryl Underwood. Sheryl recognized the work of YouthLink last Friday on her Sheryl Underwood Radio show broadcast nationally.
 
Sheryl has been one of the hosts of the daily national CBS TV show, "The Talk" for over 9 nine years.
 
Every Friday on her radio show, Sheryl features, Helping Hand - an initiative she started to highlight the good work of a service, organization, group, or person in the nation doing something impactful to make a difference in the lives of others.  Last Friday, she talked about COVID-19 and the work YouthLink is doing to help young people experiencing homelessness safe in Minneapolis. She also encouraged others to match her gift.  
 
For questions about the work YouthLink is doing during this COVID-19 crisis, please reach out to Karen Rose and/or Dr. Heather Huseby; information about ways to help can be found at www.youthlinkmn.org