Founded in 1983, Ain Dah Yung Center (“”Our Home”” in Ojibwe) grew in response to the disproportionate number of American Indian youth in the homeless population. For over 40 years, ADYC has continuously evolved to provide culturally responsive housing and stabilization services to help American Indian youth in the Twin Cities imagine a hopeful, safe, and independent future. ADYC is an advocate and innovator of best practices for serving homeless American Indian youth ages 5-24. Our success is a result of our culturally responsive approach: our staff speak the languages, sing the songs, and practice the traditions of our peoples and combine this knowledge.
Program services include:

Ain Dah Yung (Our Home) Emergency Shelter
ADYC provides the only American Indian youth emergency shelter in the Twin Cities, and the only East Metro shelter open 24/7/365. Services for youth ages 5-17 include emergency and short-term shelter, crisis intervention, advocacy, referrals, health care, counseling, and case management.

Beverley A. Benjamin Youth Lodge
A transitional living program for youth ages 16-21 for up to 24 months, emphasizing training, education, and employment goals while creating community and cultural connections.

Street Outreach Program
ADYC is a member of StreetWorks, a program of Lutheran Social Service, which is a collaborative serving youth experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness and exploitation.

Mino Oski Ain Dah Yung (Good New Home)
Mino Oski Ain Dah Yung is a 42-unit Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) program for American Indian young adults ages 18-24, providing culturally responsive housing, case management, education, mental health support, and workforce development.

Youth and Family Therapy
Provides mental health services within an American Indian cultural context in both an individual and group format to assist youth with addressing historical trauma, behavioral management, healthy relationships, and other personal development goals.

Ramsey County Children’s Mental Health
Ramsey County Children’s Mental Health Case Managers provide case management and support from a cultural framework specific to American Indian youth and families with children who have severe emotional and behavioral disturbances.

Suicide Prevention
Provides culturally responsive community-based suicide prevention programming and postvention support.

Ninijanisag (Our Children)
A multifaceted program working with youth ages 8-21 that grounds youth in American Indian culture while encouraging healthy lifestyles, including deterring chemical and commercial tobacco abuse.

Oyate Nawajin (Stand with the People)
Supports families through group learning, increasing positive social networks, connection to cultural teachings, case management, referrals, resource acquisition, and general support.

Zhawenimaa (They Are Loved Unconditionally) Safe Harbor
provides culturally specific, trauma informed care for American Indian youth before, during, and after periods of exploitation.

Indian Child Welfare Legal Advocacy/Compliance (ICWLAC) Project
Indian Child Welfare Compliance Monitors hearings for compliance with the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) and Minnesota Indian Family Preservation Act (MIFPA).

Wotakuye (Kinship) Program
The Wotakuye Program builds healthy and supportive networks for ADYC young adults and their families and friends. We work to connect, reconnect, and find important people in their lives who are able and willing to become part of their larger circle of support.