City response to homelessness

Read about the City's ongoing efforts to humanely support unsheltered individuals.

A person sits at the bottom of an outdoor staircase with a sign that says help

Cross departmental and multi-agency effort

Through a collaborative cross-departmental and multi-agency effort, the City’s Homeless Response Team (HRT) addresses encampments by building relationships and sharing information that connects unsheltered individuals to resources, services, and shelter.

The City of Minneapolis and HRT are not direct service providers; our work continues to revolve around connecting unsheltered individuals to the services and resources provided by Hennepin County and community partners.

Encampments can create health and safety risks for the people living there, as well as the surrounding community. The City must balance the needs of unsheltered individuals, community members, and business owners in its response.

Health and safety concerns at encampments include:

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

Community members have expressed concerns about:

Used needles left on the street and sidewalk
Water and electricity being siphoned from nearby properties
Property damage
People experiencing burglary, threats, assault, and theft

Partners

We work with our partners through our outreach and engagement efforts and referral of unsheltered individuals to services. We collaborate to address the needs of the individuals we engage with to be able to connect them to the right resources.

American Indian Community Development Corporation (AICDC)
Avivo
Downtown Improvement District (DID)
Hennepin County Healthcare for the Homeless
Hennepin County Streets to Housing
The Link
Metro Transit Homeless Action Team (HAT)
Minneapolis Parks and Recreation

Learn more about our approach and operational guidelines

Data and visualizations: Supporting unsheltered individuals

Visit our dashboard to learn more about how we support unsheltered individuals, and view maps and data.

See our dashboard

Team experience

The Homelessness Response Team was formed in 2021 and brings decades of experience in social work, rapid re-housing, and working with unsheltered populations facing mental health and substance abuse issues. Daily engagement at encampment sites is a central part of their approach. Homeless Response Coordinators are in the field 5 days a week and regularly respond to calls and emails from community members. Homeless response coordinators bring real life experience and provide help that is:

Culturally considerate
Trauma informed
Equity focused

Meet people where they’re at

Homeless Response Coordinators work to understand the needs of the people living in encampments. The team recognizes that there is not a one-size-fits-all solution and to be effective they need to meet people where they’re at. We:

Coordinate with Hennepin County for housing assessments and/or case management
Connect individuals to service providers or their existing case worker
Provide the opportunity for storage through the Downtown Improvement District
Connect to shelter services
Provide medical attention with Healthcare for the Homeless
Facilitate transportation to resources

Encampment closures

We are focused on ensuring the health and safety of unsheltered individuals and community at large. The decision to close an encampment is based upon an objective review of encampment conditions. There are four factors that we consider before moving forward with a closure:

Neighborhood impact: geographic size, number of unsheltered individuals, proximity to schools, businesses, and residences, and 911/311 call volume
Health impact: presence of pregnant individuals, minors, hygiene, and environmental conditions
Safety impact: unstable structures, weather conditions, drug use, violence, propane tanks, and illegal activity
External impact: accounts from neighbors and business owners, and imminent development, demolition, or renovation.

City investments

In an unprecedented investment, the City has provided nearly $1 million in one-time funding to Helix Health and Housing Services to provide residents living at the former Nenookaasi encampment in south Minneapolis with culturally specific housing, mental health services, and substance use treatment. The funding comes from the City’s opioid settlement funds. Helix has housed approximately 100 people and has started work on Phase II of the contract to provide culturally specific treatment services.

Since the pandemic, the City has invested over $200 million in housing and homelessness strategies. An example is the Belfry Apartments at 39th and Chicago. Belfry has 41 deeply affordable rental units serving households at or below 30% area median income (AMI), with five units dedicated to people with disabilities and supportive services provided by Simpson Services, along with 10 units dedicated to people or families experiencing homelessness provided by Hennepin County Coordinated Entry.

Additionally, the City of Minneapolis, through the Departments of Community Planning & Economic Development (CPED) and Regulatory Services provided funding this year to support Hennepin County’s efforts to provide safe warming centers. We have the capacity to offer everyone a warm safe place this winter. Learn about warming options and spread the word to those that need it.

View a detailed overview of the Encampment closure process .

Resources for unsheltered individuals

The City provides a comprehensive list of resources for people experiencing homelessness or financial hardship.

View the Hennepin County Waypoint resources
Hennepin Shelter Hotline Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday-Sunday and holidays 1 p.m. to 9 p.m., call 612-204-8200
United Way 211 Open 24 hours a day; use when Hennepin Shelter Hotline is not open, call 211
Peace House Community is a daytime shelter and community center, providing a safe space, hot lunch, outreach services, and more to homeless and low-income adults. PHC is open from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on weekdays. Loaves and Fishes serves a hot takeout dinner from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. each weeknight.
Severe Cold Warming Options

Resources for property owners

The Homeless Response Team supports private property owners in their management of the encampment on their property. We do this by assessing the site and offering resources and connecting unsheltered individuals to services.

If you believe an encampment is forming on your property, you can contact either

To curb trespassing, you can:

Get no trespassing signs by contacting your neighborhood Crime Prevention Specialist, and post the signs on the property.
Contact your Crime Prevention Specialist
Tell unsheltered individuals on the property that they are trespassing.

To report continued trespassing or criminal activity:

Contact the Minneapolis Police Department
If there is criminal activity, call 911

Property owner responsibilities

You are responsible for cleaning up trash on your property. If there are syringes, use appropriate protective gear and dispose of them safely.

If you need more information, contact 311
If you need to dispose of needles and sharps, safe disposal information is available from Hennepin County and the Minneapolis Health Department

To secure your property, you are strongly encouraged to hire private security to monitor the site.

Once the property is cleared, we encourage you to fence and secure it so that unsheltered individuals do not return.

Below is a list of fence contractors that operate in Minneapolis. You are welcome to contact them or any other fence contractor you may find.

Security Fence & Construction
https://www.securityfenceminneapolis.com/

Fence Company Minneapolis
Fence Company Minneapolis on Facebook

St. Paul Fence Company
https://thesaintpaulfencecompany.com/

National Construction Rentals
https://www.rentnational.com/