The city of Minneapolis says it’s seen positive results through a program helping students.
Officials say kids are more engaged in the classroom when they’re not worrying about where they’ll sleep at night.
“I have three grandchildren and my son, and I have no idea where we would be right now, ” said Angelique Jackson.
A house fire landed Jackson on the street.
“When you don’t know where you are going to sleep, how you are going to eat the next day, and you are unstable, it causes all kinds of problems in the school system,” said Jackson.
A social worker at Jackson’s child’s school introduced her to Stable Homes Stable Schools to get her family help.
“Our staff identified that 3,121 of our students experienced homelessness. That’s about 9% of our student body,” said Superintendent Lisa Sayles-Adams.
It’s no surprise that providing stability in the home provides stability in the classrooms. Students can focus on their studies and not be concerned about where they are going to sleep.
“Since 2019, Stable Homes and Stable Schools has successfully provided over 6,700 Minneapolis Public School students with a home, ” said Mayor Jacob Frey.
Frey said the program is working, and he wants more money to grow it.
“We’ve got $2.2 million ongoing in a commitment to this program, and in my 2026 budget proposal, I recommended increasing that by another $1.4 million for 2026,” said Frey.
He added that the power of partnership is making Stable Homes Stable Schools a national model.
Families like Jackson’s are the program’s success stories.
“We don’t just sit on the program and take money and allow them to house us. We are in training. We go to college. We have jobs,” she said.
The program helps with emergency short- or medium-term assistance. It also supports housing placement and support programs.
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