Nonprofit readies new day shelter for people facing homelessness with a planned open house Friday as their Third Avenue Southeast facility is set to start operations Saturday.
Zumbro Lutheran Church and Lutheran Social Service held a ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house to announce the soon-to-be opening of the new youth resource center.
Housing experts explained the importance of culturally appropriate housing and wraparound services at shelters during a roundtable discussion Thursday in Duluth.
The Duluth house is part of a growing network of medical respite centers that now numbers more than 130 around the country — including four in Minnesota. More than half have opened in just the past 10 years.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development reported 6,461 Minnesotans experienced sheltered homelessness during the designated point in time in 2021, up from 5,991 in 2020.
The COVID pandemic also presents challenges. Advocates say many people experiencing homelessness have chronic health conditions which put them at grave risk for contracting the disease.
