Demetrius Young - a People Serving People Success Story

Article by Claudia Kittock, photos by Rick Kittock

I was honored to be in the audience on a night when Demetrius Young, a former guest of People Serving People, gave a speech about his experiences there. If you have ever wondered about the experience of being homeless as a child, or about the impact People Serving People has on the guests who stay there, please read these words from Demetrius:

"My family and I came here to Minnesota to start a new life, my mom had previously lived up here many years ago and knew that she wanted to come back. We came here with no money and on perhaps the coldest day of the entire month of November. As children my two sisters and I were cold, frightened, and completely oblivious to the fact that my mom felt all these emotions as well. We were lost and wandering around downtown Minneapolis looking for century plaza carrying heavy luggage. Now it’s bad enough to carry heavy luggage but to do it on a freezing cold day was even worse. We sat down to rest in front of the fountain on 10th and Nicollet and my mom had admitted to me later that at that moment she wanted to give up because we had been wandering for hours. At that moment a lady who I consider an angel came up to my mom and said “you look lost where are you headed?” my mom told her and she said well you are in luck if you keep walking that way a couple of more blocks you will run right into it.

It was through Century plaza that we found People Serving People and the wonderful people who worked there. It was there that even in the chaos of us being displaced that I felt as a family we were safe. While my mom had a goal for us not to spend Christmas there, I feel had it not been for the case managers and other supportive staff we would have not completed that goal. While we did leave and get our own place, my mom applied for the transitional housing program that was offered where at the end of the program you get to move into a town house.

While in the program my sisters and I got to participate in a mentorship program where college students would come and hang out with us and just spend time. It was here that I first thought about going to college.

It had been a while since I had been back to visit People Serving People, as my family moved back to Chicago to help take care of my grandma when she got sick. I reconnected with People Serving People through my summer internship that I had working with Mayor Hodges and her talking is teaching initiative. I had kept in touch with Margo who was one of the angels that really helped my family with school supplies and just caring about where we went in life.

I don’t like to think of an alternative for myself and my life because I feel that everything happens the way it’s supposed to happen but I know that my mom, my sisters and myself would not be the people we are today without People Serving People.

I am a senior graduating in the spring from Saint Mary's University of Minnesota with a degree in human services because I want to help people the way I was helped.

I want you to know that what you do no matter how little matters, because it mattered to me. 

Thank you."

Demetrius is one of thousands of people who have benefited from the help they received at People Serving People. Located in the Mill District at 614 3^rd Street South, it is designed to help homeless and at-risk children and their families manage crisis situations and build a strong foundation for their long-term success. It is the largest and most comprehensive, family-focused homeless shelter in Minnesota. The 10-story building has 99 emergency housing units and 10 two-bedroom supportive housing apartments. According to the recent “Homelessness in Minnesota” study by Wilder Research, children with parents continue to make up over one-third of the state’s homeless population. The 99 emergency housing units are consistently at or near capacity.

People Serving People statistics for 2015:

• Served 3,086 individuals in 1,125 families experiencing homelessness
• Served, on average, 348 guests each day  
• Served families 41 days as an average length of stay
• 16 years old was the average age of all guests
• 59% of guests were children, 6 years old was the average age of the children
• 415 children enrolled in the early childhood development classrooms
• 790 children learned, enjoyed, and connected with peers in after-school enrichment and activities
• 238 parents found employment
• 305 parents learned and supported each other in parent engagement
• 271 guests participated in mental health skills and support groups
• 10 low-income adults graduated from our Culinary Arts Training program
• 5,000 volunteers donated 30,009 volunteer hours
• 235,669 meals were served
• 35-40 school buses arrived daily to transport children to schools in Hennepin County

People Serving People fills a vital niche in our community. Without them, families would have few resources.  They manage to serve the entire family and provide resources and support for each member of each family during their stay. People Serving People takes a comprehensive approach to helping families experiencing homelessness. They begin with the basics, providing families with a safe place to stay, access to basic toiletries, and three nutritious meals a day in their kitchen/dining hall. When immediate basic needs are met, families can begin to address the barriers they face to achieving stability.

As a part of their efforts to increase the stability of children in the community, People Serving People is embarking on a new external initiative, the Center of Excellence. This initiative not only expands their physical presence to two sites, it also marks a shift in their service population to include children and families at-risk of becoming homeless. Operating upstream of the shelter system will help stabilize families to prevent them from becoming homeless. The Center is located in the Phillips neighborhood of Minneapolis, within the Lutheran Social Services Center for Changing Lives building. It will feature early education, school-age support, and parental engagement services to homeless and at-risk children and their families. In addition to building on their strength providing direct care services, the Center will feature research, development, and training to improve the field of family resilience and trauma-informed education and service. People Serving People plans to scale up the Center, beginning with early childhood classrooms opening this spring.

How can you help? People Serving People’s work is fueled by the generosity of volunteers and donors. Check out the many ways of getting involved at their website, www.PeopleServingPeople.org.

Claudia can be reached at claudia@millcitymedia.org

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Editor's note:

People Serving People has two upcoming Chefs for Change events during which you have the opportunity to tour the facility prior to enjoying a fabulous multi-course meal. Click on the link to learn more!