Today, Cheree is a happily-married mother of four pursuing her Doctorate

in Nursing Practice at the University of Minnesota. When you meet Cheree,

it’s easy to see the vibrant, intelligent woman with a passion for helping

youth. What you don’t see is that she struggled with homelessness as a

young woman.

At YouthLink, we’ve known Cheree for nearly half her life. As a little girl,

Cheree lived in a home where substance abuse and neglect was the norm.

Living in tents — and places with no hot water or electricity — she and her

siblings struggled to fend for themselves. Finally, Cheree felt she had to

leave for her own safety.

But life on the streets didn’t offer a safe refuge either; sexual exploitation

and safety were constant concerns. Alone, frightened, and sleeping on the

streets, Cheree was at a loss for what to do next.

“I was like many young people who have no stable home. I knew I needed

help, but didn’t know where to get it.” Thankfully, another youth told her

about YouthLink. She began to drop in for meals, and soon, one of our case

managers earned her trust.

Supported by a YouthLink case manager, Cheree went to a shelter,

eventually moved back in with her parents, now more stable, and enrolled

HOPE, Personified

SPRING 2014

“I look pretty confident now, but I was a tough one. I knew I was making progress with YouthLink’s help. I’m so glad they believed in me.” — Cheree

Continued on page 2…

in high school. She graduated with a 3.6 GPA, and was looking forward to

attending St. Catherine’s University in the fall.

But it wasn’t long after that when Cheree, now a new mom, found herself

once again at a crossroads. Her parents became involved with drugs again,

and after a raid led to their incarceration, Cheree was without a home once

more, and now had a child of her own to protect. Cheree’s college dreams

started to fade — until she remembered YouthLink.

Quickly, staff members found Cheree and her baby shelter, helped with job

applications, and opened a pathway back to education. College came back

into focus. As a full-time nursing student, she was able to rent supportive

housing with income from a part-time job.

But Cheree’s journey with YouthLink didn’t end there. Now in her thirties,

Cheree plans to give back by helping a new generation of young people:

As part of her final doctoral project, she’ll be teaching reproductive

health through the Youth Opportunity Center at YouthLink. Cheree says,

“You can’t make smart decisions about your life without information. My

ultimate goal is to reduce teen pregnancy through education.”

Thanks to YouthLink’s support, 40 years of formerly homeless youth, just

like Cheree, are not only creating positive futures for themselves, but more

hopeful ones for generations to come.

Continued from front…

In 2013, YouthLink helped 2,215 young people discover their new paths in life, just like we did for Cheree.

NIGHT OF HOPEOn any given night in Minnesota, homeless youth

could fill over half the hotel rooms in downtown Minneapolis.

Youth homelessness is an issue that affects all aspects of our community. When youth face barriers to safe shelter, basic needs, education, and employment resources, it creates social and economic ripples felt by current, and future, generations.

As part of our 40th anniversary celebration, YouthLink is hosting Twin Cities executives and leaders who will sleep outside of our building to help raise awareness and funds for homeless youth at YouthLink. All proceeds will support

life-changing YouthLink programs, with a goal of raising $200,000 through the event.

The event will be held on September 28th and is co-chaired by Todd Klingel of the Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce, Will Roach of Baker Tilly Virchow Krause, Melvin Tennant of Meet Minneapolis, and Michele Whyle of 3M.

Go to www.youthlinkmn.org/executive-sleep-out/ to find out more, or contact Frances Roen, Director of Development, at 612-252-1283 or roen@youthlinkmn.org.

To make a donation to YouthLink, please log on to www.youthlinkmn.org.

If you prefer to receive electronic correspondence, please email us at youthlink@ youthlinkmn.org.

Should you wish to be removed from our mailing list, please call our fund development office at 612-252-1280.

TWO GREAT MINDSIn honor of our 40th anniversary, we sat down with YouthLink’s first Executive Director, Nancy Hite, and YouthLink’s current Executive Director, Dr. Heather Huseby, to talk about YouthLink’s history and future plans.

How was YouthLink first started?

NH: Originally, it was called the Minneapolis Youth Diversion Program (MYDP), and it was part of a nation-wide network of youth-serving agencies that were funded by the federal government. Initially, we were working with troubled youth and families in their homes, but over time we became aware that there were youth who were not in their homes any longer, and that there weren’t services for these youth who were being thrown out of their homes or chose to leave because they were being abused. So, in 1986, we started Project Offstreets, which is really the core of what YouthLink is. We learned a lot about how youth get on the streets, and realized that if you could intervene earlier, and meet them where they were, it was easier to help them.

Now that YouthLink has been around for 40 years, how does that feel?

NH: A few years ago, I ran into a man whom I had worked with when I was a youth worker in my 20s, and he was around 16. And he said, “You’re Nancy Hite, and you helped me do this and helped me do that,” and I thought “Wow, someone I worked with is now an adult with grown children of his own” and it was cool and kind of overwhelming. It’s the same thing with this agency, I feel really proud that we continued through all that time. A lot of agencies don’t remain relevant to the current issues in the community, and I think the beauty of YouthLink is that you’ve continued to adapt and say “What do youth need now?”

What are some of the most exciting developments you’ve seen happen over the past 40 years?

HH: I think one of the reasons we’ve grown is because of what Nancy had established. Nancy started with a vision of meeting youth where they’re at and building with the community. I think it established a very nimble culture in responding to the needs of youth and the community.

NH: So there’s no duplication in services.

HH: Exactly. As a result of that, we’ve grown, and we grow with the community. For example, we have the Youth Opportunity Center here now, and we have over 30 partners on site, and it’s not just YouthLink doing all these services — we’ve established a collaborative culture.

Where do you hope to see things go in the next 40 years?

NH: Well, I want the plan set down by Heading Home Hennepin to be successful so there is no such thing as homelessness for anyone. That’s the ultimate goal, and I think it’s achievable because if you set up the right continuum of services, you won’t ever need to have someone sleeping outside at night.

HH: I agree. I think Heading Home Hennepin is working and we have a solution to youth homelessness. Are we going to solve the issue of youth having difficulty in their homes? I don’t know, but I’d like to see YouthLink still in existence in a more entreprenureal fashion, more of an incubator where youth are creating things and ideas — like a creative center for youth rather than a place for youth in crisis.

Hope, Personified Cheree, a YouthLink client in the 90s, has come full circle

Night of HopeLearn about YouthLink’s executive sleepout event coming this fall

Two Great MindsHear from Nancy Hite, YouthLink’s founder, and Executive Director Dr. Heather Huseby

This year, we are proud to celebrate our history, our collaborations, and our supporters. Thank you for making a change in the trajectory of young people’s lives, turning new opportunities into hope for four decades. This celebration isn’t ours alone – your donations, time, and talents have made all the difference.

What’s inside…

41 North 12th Street Minneapolis, MN 55403

www.youthlink.org

Join us in celebrating 40 years of hope.