Associated Press
BEMIDJI, Minn. — A new report says that at any one time there are 200 to 250 people seeking shelter each night in northwestern Minnesota, and about 80 are children and a third of homeless men are veterans.
Wendy Thompson of the Northwest Minnesota Continuum of Care presented its report on rural homelessness to the Beltrami County board at its April 7 meeting.
The group sought support for its anti-homelessness plans, and got it from the board. The consortium has a 10-year plan to end homelessness in northwest Minnesota.
The report says homelessness in northwestern Minnesota doesn’t have the visible symptoms of urban homelessness, including cardboard shelters in alleys and panhandlers.
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Instead, the reports describes a hidden population moving from one substandard or too expensive housing situation to another.
