More Homeless Youth Struggle
with Mental Illness: What Can We Do?
by Clarence Schadegg
In a July 5, 2005 interview
with Monica Nilsson, Community Development Director for the Bridge
for Runaway Youth, she stated, “It
appears that the number of homeless youth, especially youth with
some form of disability, is on the increase.”
Ms. Nilsson also stated, “Today,
there are about 4,000 children each year who are homeless, and
it is about one in ten children in the Minneapolis Public Schools.”
Ms. Nilsson further
stated, “We see, fortunately, a very small
percentage of people who are wheelchair bound, or who have vision
loss in the shelters…So the majority of disabilities are mental
health and developmental disabilities.”
How would a homeless blind youngster with mental illness, for example,
know how to navigate safely around the various homeless shelters
or get rehabilitation training? How would a teenager who has mental
illness be safe inside and outside of a shelter for homeless people?
“I believe,” said Ms. Nilsson, “the shelters are
ill-equipped to serve those populations… There are services
through Hennepin County in which we can connect them to. But if a
person comes to us with the label of homeless, their services are
very underfunded.”
In adult shelters, Ms.
Nilsson stated, “Catholic Charities
in downtown Minneapolis is kind of a large warehouse type shelter—the
staff-to-client ratio is one to eighty. So we have hundreds of adults
sleeping on foam mats on the floor. And certainly their disabilities
are not being addressed. All we, as the community, are doing is to
support a place to keep the homeless out of the cold. In some cases
there is food available and in some cases there is not.” In
the case of a homeless youth who has diabetes, what dietary choices
would he or she have? How would a youth with diabetes get medical
help, if necessary?
“With youth, I think,” said Ms. Nilsson, we do a little
better job than with adults in that the staff-to-client ratio is
smaller and programs are often situated in a big house where it is
a little more home-like. But the challenges there can be that all
of our shelters in Minneapolis are not accessible and so we have
to have a system to meet the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
requirements. If we can’t serve a person, we know who can.
And we have a way of making sure they get a spot there.”
The Bridge for Runaway Youth, also known as the Bridge, was founded
by Sister Rita Steinhagen of the Convent of Sisters of St. Joseph
of Carondelet (CSJ) and other concerned residents of Hennepin County.
A house on the West Bank was donated to Sister Rita, and she used
the house for the youth she saw living on the West Bank. The Bridge
is now located at 2200 Emerson Avenue South, Minneapolis.
The Bridge has grown
since it was started in 1970 to include more services. According
to the 2003 Charities Review Council report, the Bridge “maintains
a strong base of community support. The organization provides resources
and programs for youth that are at risk of running away and experiencing
violence. While most of the youth that are served are still from
Hennepin County, the programs and services are available to youth
throughout the state and region. Programs range from one-on-one
and family in-home counseling to long-term shelter stays. Resources
and programs are also available for the families of these young
people.”
Today, the Bridge for Runaway
Youth also provides homeless youth with housing for 24 people at
an apartment in the Uptown area of Minneapolis. To help, you can
call (612) 377-8800. Another way to contact the Bridge is either
by e-mail or to navigate their website. The Bridge e-mail address
is info@bridgeforyouth.org.
The Bridge Web address is www.bridgeforyouth.org.
This article is an excerpt of a much longer interview. I am grateful
that Ms. Nilsson took time out of her busy day to allow me to interview
her. The staff at the Bridge deserves much recognition as they do,
indeed, provide valuable support to disabled and non-disabled homeless
people.
