
People Serving People
People Serving People is the largest and most comprehensive emergency shelter for families experiencing homelessness in Minnesota and a dedicated leader in homelessness prevention.
People Serving People is partnering with Mill City Kids and the Hennepin County Office to End Homelessness to explore issues related to child care access, quality early childhood education and ways to prevent recurring family homelessness. Family homelessness overwhelmingly impacts African American and American Indian communities.
Prototypes
Local community organization grantees work with families to create innovative program designs called “prototypes”, which address racial disparities in human services and outcomes facing the families in their community.
LEAN (Leadership, Engagement, Advocacy and Navigation) Fellowship to engage families experiencing homelessness
Participants who are recently or currently homeless are selected to be fellows and are part of a team working to identify and address structural racism in policies, programs, and practices that result in higher rates of homelessness in African American and American Indian populations. Fellows will participate for a set number of hours each month and commit to 18 months of fellowship. Fellows will also receive a stipend for their participation.
Culturally Responsive Early-Childhood Educator Development curriculum (CREED)
The team is creating an educator curriculum based on community, educator and parent feedback for the educational needs of children in the community. The curriculum will center on belonging and will include protective factors for children. The GONA and Healing Centered Engagement models will be used to develop curriculum and evaluation to increase protective factors for Black and Indigenous families served by People Serving People and Mill City Kids.
Stable Roots Employment Program
This prototype aims to identify a process for people who have recently been homeless to obtain living wage jobs or other employment while providing a living wage supplement at Hennepin County or People Serving People that will allow flexibility for wrap-around services within the workweek as the participant works to stabilize their family. These services will be provided for one year period and are intended to meet the individual needs of each participant.
Power Hour
People Serving People's leadership team is addressing culture shifts through the intentional curriculum "Exploring and Addressing Power, Control, and Comfort-Seeking in Organizations," also known as the “Power Hour”. Core team member, Mill City Kids facilitates training. Leaders are exploring alternative ways of being and doing and co-design and formalize more inclusive and welcoming policies and practices for the families that we work with.
News and resources
People Serving People Project Overview
This brochure gives an overview of the Whole Family System Initiative work being done by People Serving People.