Friday, August 17, 2012
Richard B., a 57-year-old resident of the Cochran House homeless shelter in Hastings, writes about his experience living in a homeless shelter and looking for work.
- OPINION
-
Friday, August 17, 2012
Being a 57-year-old, I’ve learned patience and acceptance in my life. At Cochran [House], I appreciate having meals, a bed to sleep in and a place to live. It’s hard to establish goals at my age because I'm not sure what my options are. I’ve learned to get by on my $92 a month, but I have no incentive to get a part-time job as the earnings from it have to go right back into the house. As sad as it sounds, it’s easier to read, do crossword puzzles and do volunteer work, [than it is] to look for a documented (taxable) part-time job. Hastings is a nice town but it’s a tough place to find a full-time job. I feel I'm at a disadvantage because of my age, lack of driver's license and no vehicle. None of these three things look good on a job …
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Anna Richardson's descent into homelessness began when she got hooked on methamphetamine as a teenager.
Anna Richardson needed a wake-up call. For 10 years, Richardson had been hooked on methamphetamine—only stopping for brief periods when she was pregnant with her two daughters. In all that time, she never held a job, preferring to sell the meth made by her live-in partner. But when police raided her home in 2010, Richardson's life came crashing down. What followed was a spiral of court dates, continued drug use and meetings with a social worker that ultimately culminated in the loss of the 26-year-old Apple Valley resident's child-custody rights. Richardson, unable to make more money selling drugs or collect child-support payments, couldn't afford to pay rent. In September 2010, she became homeless. “Once they told me I couldn’t get my …
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Homelessness is costly for society, according to Neighbors, Inc. spokesperson Daniel Zhu.
- OPINION
-
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
It is estimated that on any given night in Dakota County, there are nearly 1,000 people dealing with homelessness or extreme housing instability. This number may seem staggering to some because the problem isn’t always visible. Homelessness in the suburbs can look very different from the homelessness seen in larger metropolitan areas. In the suburbs, many people who are homeless are doubling up, or temporarily sharing housing with other families. This makes it harder to determine the true number of homeless families and individuals living in Dakota County. Since 2009, the homeless population has been increasing significantly. At least once a year, the county and participating organizations work together to get an estimate of how many …
John P., a 52-year-old resident of the Cochran House homeless shelter in Hastings, raised his daughter with love and respect before becoming homeless.
- OPINION
-
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
How I feel about being homeless! I know l don’t look homeless. I’m not pushing a shopping cart with all my possessions in it. Dirty and unkept. But when I walk down the street I feel like people look at me like that. I know it's because of the way I feel about myself. It's not a very good feeling! Shameful, lazy. But I'm not. I'm a single parent that raised my daughter with love and respect. We always had a clean, comfortable home. Margaret did so good in school that in August of this year she’s going to graduate from nursing school. [She] has been happily married for five years and I'm the proud grandpa of a 4-year-old granddaughter, “Teagan”. This is the first time I’ve ever been homeless! I don’t know the proper channels to get help. I …
Many youth become homeless after aging out of the foster care system at age 18, according to The Link representative Julia O'Brien.
- OPINION
-
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
As the Development and Marketing Director of The Link, which provides supportive services to formerly homeless youth living at Lincoln Place in Eagan, I am often asked how the residents (18-24) became homeless. As we know, the reasons are complex. But for one-third of the residents the reason is simple; upon turning 18 years of age, they automatically age out of the foster care system. This means that the youth's foster family no longer receives a stipend for having the foster child live with the family. Without financial support, many of the foster families terminate their support with the foster child. Even if the youth is in high school, the support terminates. The youth has to fend for himself. Often, the school counselor knows who is …
44.81733
-93.207209
Lincoln Place
1997 Gold Trl, Eagan, MN
/articles/guest-column-aging-out-of-foster-care
1757035
/locations/7612508
Monday, August 13, 2012
In Dakota County, the number of homeless individuals or those at imminent risk of being homeless rose from 841 in 2011 to 1,013 in January 2012. The trend has deep roots, and complex causes, officials said.
Kenny Johnson’s homeless shelter is usually quiet in the summer—but that changes in the winter, when the 46-person house fills up to capacity and dozens more put their names on the shelter’s waitlist. That sort of demand isn’t unusual, said Johnson, a former drug addict and homeless person who found his calling as the coordinator for the Cochran House—a shelter in Hastings that caters to men who are recovering from substance abuse. The house opened in February 2010, and each winter since the opening, Johnson has been forced to turn away prospective residents. The Cochran House isn’t alone. The economy, a booming rental market with low vacancy rates, lack of health and human services funding and a host of other factors have led to a …
44.832563
-93.136697
Dakota Woodlands
3430 Wescott Woodlands, Eagan, MN
/articles/suburban-homelessness-on-the-rise-local-leaders-say
1722637
/locations/7606131
shenhuang
9:16 am on Friday, November 30, 2012
Mine Kafon is composed almost http://www.coachfactoryoutletcc.us/ Coach Outlet Online entirely from bamboo and biodegradable plastics, with a skeletal structure of spiky plungers that resembles a http://www.guccibeltsoutletstores.net/ Gucci Belt giant spherical tumbleweed from another planet.At 70 kilograms, Hassani says his invention is light enough to be http://www.coachoutletonlinewo.com/ … more ›