A cross departmental and multi-agency effort

Many City departments and local agencies work together to address homelessness. At the City of Minneapolis, our role is to connect unsheltered individuals to the services and resources that Hennepin County and community partners provide. We are not a direct service provider.

Our guiding beliefs

We believe Minneapolis residents deserve safe, healthy and dignified housing. We work to balance the needs of unsheltered individuals, community members and business owners.

Our role

As part of the Department of Regulatory Services, the Homeless Response Team proactively helps unsheltered individuals in Minneapolis. We're the first point of contact when the City receives a call about unsheltered individuals or encampments.

Team members bring decades of experience in social work, rapid re-housing, and working with people who face mental health and substance abuse issues. We support unsheltered individuals by:

• Visiting them wherever they're at, five days a week
• Connecting them to resources, services and shelter
• Offering trauma-informed, culturally considerate, equity focused help
• Also supporting private property owners who have an encampment on their property

Contact the Homeless Response Team

See resources for unsheltered individuals

Health and safety risks

Encampments can create health and safety risks for those living there, as well as the neighboring communities. Health and safety concerns at encampments include:

• Open drug use
• Trash and odors
• Infestation
• Violent crime
• Defecation in public spaces

About encampment closures

We work to ensure the health and safety of unsheltered individuals and the community. We look at four factors at an encampment to decide whether to close it:

• Neighborhood impact: Geographic size, number of residents, number of 911 or 311 calls, and distance from schools, businesses and residents
• Health impact: If minors or pregnant individuals live there, hygiene and environmental issues
• Safety impact: Unstable structures, weather, drug use, violence, propane tanks and illegal activity
• External impact: Stories from neighbors and business owners, and development, demolition or renovation

Property owner responsibilities

Private property owners are responsible for their land and removing any garbage from an encampment. Here are some best practices for caring for your property and preventing encampments:

• Put in fencing
• Hire private security
• Get no trespassing signs from your neighborhood Crime Prevention Specialist
• Contact the Homeless Response Team
• Report criminal activity to 911
• Safely get rid of any needles and sharps

See resources for property owners