The Department of Human Services Provides Five Community Organizations the Ability to Expand Their Outreach Services

Funding Bolsters Minneapolis Native Community’s Rapid Response for Unhoused Community Members

MINNEAPOLIS, April 15th 2025 — A funding allocation has brought increased resources to the Native community’s unsheltered relatives in Minneapolis. The money comes from the Department of Human Services (DHS) Human Services Response Contingency Account designed to address emergent and immediate needs related to health, welfare, and safety in Minnesota. Five Native organizations are receiving these funds to increase their rapid response and direct service programming for unhoused community members — the Minnesota Indian Women’s Resource Center (MIWRC), Native American Community Clinic (NACC), Indigenous People’s Task Force (IPTF), American Indian Community Development Corporation (AICDC), and the Indigenous Protector Movement (IPM).  Although Indigenous people make up only 1% of the population in Hennepin County, studies report that they make up a disproportionate 16% of the homeless population.

It was after witnessing this reality firsthand that former DHS commissioner Jodi Harpstead was spurred into action. In collaboration with the Metropolitan Urban Indian Directors (MUID), Harpstead and Indigenous community members have been working for the past year to facilitate these funds into Native-led organizations. With the Native American Community Development Institute (NACDI) serving as a fiscal sponsor, resources are being put directly into the hands of those doing rapid and direct response with unhoused individuals.

“This direct funding to our work in the community from DHS is a strong show of confidence in the work of our Native organizations,” said Robert Lilligran, CEO of NACDI and citizen of the White Earth Ojibwe Nation. “We have the opportunity to demonstrate our capacity to best serve our relatives in an Indigenous way; Native people to Native people, which we know is more effective. I am grateful to former Commissioner Harpstead for her belief in our ability to spend these funds responsibly.” 

Each of the five organizations come with a different approach to addressing the homelessness crisis within the Indigenous community:

• MIWRC is expanding their drop-in center to provide meals for unhoused and highly mobile community members. This funding offers a timely response to the dire need for safe spaces where the most vulnerable can be fed, clothed, have access to basic hygiene, and find refuge from the dangers of the streets.
• NACC is utilizing the funds to expand access to culturally-relevant activities and land-based teachings for youth, empowering them to connect with the environment and their community. By incorporating traditional knowledge and practices, they aim to foster a deeper sense of identity, resilience, and well-being among young people, helping them navigate challenges in a good way.
• IPTF has used the funding for eight Indigenous young adults to complete a month-long cultural and professional development training in February. They have begun a five month paid internship at community organizations. On the last day of the professional development training, an intern developed a presentation on the medicine wheel, four gifts, meditation, journaling, and a testimonial of recovery from addiction.
• AICDC is utilizing the funding providing a much-needed service such as a daytime drop-in center, which offers peer recovery support, group facilitation and a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counsellor to offer mobile comprehensive assessments with recommendations. AICDC is also offering opportunities to clients seeking community engagement, talking circles that facilitate common interests, and a neighborhood cleanup crew that offers stipends for participants.
• IPM is a community-led initiative dedicated to protecting and empowering Indigenous peoples, families, and communities through advocacy, direct support, and public safety efforts. It collaborates with grassroots and organizations to provide patrols, create safer spaces, and implement long-term solutions to violence, exploitation, and systemic injustices. The Many Shields security team is out every week, morning and evening, patrolling community organizations and ensuring safety.

Those working on the project acknowledge that while these funds are a step forward, this is an emergency response and not a complete solution. 

“This is a band-aid,” said Ryan Salmon, former MUID chair and a citizen of the White Earth Ojibwe Nation. “And we know what works in other communities doesn’t always work in ours.” Ryan highlighted that many in the community desire to be together, from those experiencing homelessness to those working to provide resources. Collaboration and togetherness, as strong tenets of Indigenous culture, are at the heart of this work.

“What the DHS funding has shown us is what collaboration can look like,” said Salmon. 

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For more information, please reach out to Alex Buffalohead: abuffalohead@nacdi.org and Ryan Salmon: ryan@mnjrsvolleyball.com

Native American Community Development Institute (NACDI) Our work is founded on the belief that all American Indian people have a place, purpose and a future strengthened by sustainable community development. NACDI initiates projects that benefit the Native community, often in partnership with other Indigenous-led organizations. Learn more at nacdi.org.