We are building a New Door to Youth Opportunity at YouthLink! Hennepin County recently selected YouthLink to be the site of the new Youth Opportunity Center, where every facet of opportunity for stabilization, self-sufficiency, education, career, health and wellness and housing will be provided under one roof, at one accessible location – something not currently available in the Twin Cities area. We expect this innovative ‘one-stop-shop’ approach will:

Reduce the incidence of sustained chronic homelessness among Twin Cities youth by increasing the number of homeless youth served, decreasing the amount of time they spend on the streets or in shelters, giving them the knowledge and ability to access services that meet their needs, providing them the tools and skills to bring stability to their lives, and helping them take positive steps toward self-sufficiency.

Inspire systemic change in the delivery of services to homeless, precariously housed and marginalized youth in the Twin Cities by collaboratively leveraging existing resources to improve both the effectiveness and the efficiency of service delivery. As a result the community will make better, more effective use of public, private and philanthropic resources invested in social services to this critical population.

Improve the physical and mental health and wellness of homeless, precariously housed and marginalized youth through on-site services, counseling and education resulting in reduced use of emergency medical and mental health services.

The first step in creating the Youth Opportunity Center at YouthLink is a major renovation of our building on the north edge of downtown Minneapolis to accommodate the community partners who will join us in this collaborative effort to serve homeless youth.

Creating the Youth Opportunity Center requires significant investment both in our capacity to expand services and in our physical plant. Today we need funds to renovate our 30,000 square foot building on the north edge of downtown Minneapolis. The building's interior needs to be updated and re-configured to accommodate expanded, dedicated space for partner agencies and program space for youth. This includes new bathrooms, showers, updated kitchen and laundry facilities. Exterior improvements will include a new visible and welcoming entrance with better lighting and public space. Modifications will enlist 'green' features and ensure full handicapped accessibility.

We look forward to the time when homeless young people will enter through this New Door To Youth Opportunity and find a welcoming and energetic environment that offers convenient, high quality services ready to help them take clear steps toward stable, self-sufficient lives. Your generous gift or pledge will help make this vision of the Youth Opportunity Center a reality. I hope you will consider a generous gift, and Get Behind the New Door to Youth Opportunity.