LINDSEY
LINDSEY OVERBEY. SO FAR, MORE THAN TWO HUNDRED AND TWENTY
THOUSAND DOLLARS HAS BEEN RAISED
FOR HER HUSBAND AND TWO CHILDREN
MOVING ON NOW TO SOME DANGEROUS
WEATHER. THE COLD WE ARE FACING
IS NOT JUST AN INCONVENIENT
TRUTH. IT COULD HURT PEOPLE. IT
COULD EVEN KILL PEOPLE IF THEY
ARE LIVING OUTSIDE. AND THE FACT
IS IN THIS STATE , THOUSANDS
OF PEOPLE ARE . AND SO PRICES
MODE IS WHERE THOSE WHO
ARE TRYING TO STOP THAT FROM
HAPPENING ARE ORGANIZATIONS
ARE STARTING TO GET THE WORD OUT
ABOUT THEIR SHELTERS AND THEIR
AVAILABILITY TO BE OPEN THIS
WEEKEND. YOUTHLINK SAYS IT
WILL SERVE AS A TWENTY FOUR HOUR
WARMING STATION FOR 18 TO TWENTY
FOUR YEAR OLDS WHO
ARE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS
FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY. THAT IS
LOCATED AT 12TH STREET
IN MINNEAPOLIS AND THROUGHOUT
HENNEPIN COUNTY, ADULTS
AND FAMILIES CAN REACH OUT
THROUGH THE ADULT SHELTER
CONNECT PHONE LINE THAT IS SIX
ONE, TWO, THREE FOUR EIGHT
NINE BTY FOR TEN. THEY WILL WORK
TO SEE HOW MANY BEDS ARE OPEN AT
ANY GIVEN TIME AND IF THERE IS
A PLACE FOR SOMEONE TO STAY
EACH NIGHT. BUT THE FACT OF THE
MATTER IS NOT EVERYONE WILL FIND
SHELTER OR WILL HAVE THE OPTION
TO EVEN GO TO ONE. AND SO
THE OUTSIDE IS WHERE MANY
WILL STAY. AND FOR OVER A DECADE
A STREET TEAM HAS GONE OUT THERE
TO NIGHT AFTER NIGHT TO TRY
AND KEEP PEOPLE ALIVE THROUGH
THE NIGHT. TEN THOUSAND TWO
HUNDRED AND THIRTY THREE. THAT'S
HOW MANY PEOPLE THE WILDER
FOUNDATION FOUND EXPERIENCING
HOMELESSNESS ON A ONE NIGHT
SURVEY IN 2013, THE MINNESOTA
COALITION OF HOMELESSNESS SAID
AROUND 3000 OF THOSE PEOPLE WERE
LIVING OUTSIDE DAY AND NIGHT.
BUT AGAIN, THAT WAS IN 2018.
THAT WAS BEFORE THE PANDEMIC.
>> THIS WINTER WE ARE ACTUALLY
SEEING MORE PEOPLE WHO
ARE RESIDING OUTSIDE THROUGHOUT
THE WINTER.
THE WINTER. >> JOHN TRIBBETT LEADS THE FACE
TO FACE ST. STEPHENS STREET TEAM
THAT FIGHTS TO FIND SAFETY
AND SHELTER FOR THOSE IN OUR
COMMUNITY EXPERIENCING
COMMUNITY EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS. HE SAYS THIS SINCE
LAST MARCH, IN HIS OPINION, TWO
THINGS HAVE HAPPENED. NO ONE
MORE PEOPLE LOST PLACES TO STAY
NIGHT TONIGHT OR BLEND IN NIGHTS
A NIGHT. A NUMBER TWO MORE
PEOPLE NO LONGER IN THE HUSTLE
AND BUSTLE ARE SEEEING THOSE WHO
ARE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS.
IT WAS A GAME OF MUSICAL CHAIRS
AND SUDDENLY EVERYTHING STOPPED
AND PEOPLE WERE FORCED TO FALL
INTO FALL INTO PLACE. AND SO
THAT REALLY WAS PART OF THAT
UPTICK OF JUST SEEEING PEOPLE
IN OUR COMMUNITY THAT WERE
PREVIOUSLY INVISIBLE. AND REALLY
IT'S FORCED MANY PEOPLE TO SORT
OF LOOK AROUND AND SAY
TO THEMSELVES, YOU KNOW, WHERE
DID ALL THESE PEOPLE COME FROM?
>> SADLY, THESE PEOPLE ARE OUR
NEIGHBORS AND THEY'VE BEEN
IN PLAIN SIGHT FOR A LONG TIME.
>> BUT PEOPLE HAVE JUST NOT SEEN
THAT . WE SAW OUR UNSHLETERED
COMMUNITY THIS SUMMER AND PARKS
ALL OVER THE CITY AND THAT
PROBLEM DID NOT GO AWAY WHEN
THE SEASONS CHANGED. SO NOW
WITH THE COLDEST DAYS IN FRONT
OF US IN NEARLY THREE DECADES,
JOHN IN HIS STREET TEAM ARE IN
CRISIS MODE.
CRISIS MODE. >> IT'S HELPING PEOPLE STAY
ALIVE WHILE THEY'RE LIVING
ON UNSHLETERED ON THE STREET
IN THEIR OWN HOUSE. SO
IT'S REALLY JUST A BASIC HUMAN
CHECK IN TO SAY DO YOU HAVE WHAT
YOU NEED TO SURVIVE THROUGH
THE NIGHT THAT YOU GO UP TO
ANOTHER HUMAN BEING AND SAY
TO THEM, DO YOU HAVE ENOUGH
TO SURVIVE THROUGH THE NIGHT?
THINK ABOUT THAT . YEAH, YEAH.
IT'S BEEN A LONG WEEK. UM,
IT'S HARD TO I MEAN, OUR JOB IS
EASY.
EASY.
EASY. >>
EASY. >> WHAT'S HARD IS THE THIS IS
NOT A THIS IS NOT ABOUT US IS AN
OUTREACH TEAM.
OUTREACH TEAM. >> IT'S ABOUT THE PEOPLE
THAT ARE OUT THERE AND THE
PEOPLE OUT THERE TONIGHT.
>> SOME ARE ALREADY IN DANGER.
>> WE ARE TRACKING SEVRAL SEVRAL
PEOPLE THAT WE KNOW AND ARE
WORKING WITH . THEY HAVE FAIRLY
SEVERE FROSTBITE. YOU WOULD NOT
BE SHOCKING FOR US TO FIND OUT
THAT SOMEONE HAD DIED ON A NIGHT
LIKE TONIGHT.
LIKE TONIGHT. >> THAT COLD TRUTH IS WHAT
THE STREET TEAM WILL GO INTO
TONIGHT WITH AND TOMORROW NIGHT
AND THE NEXT AND THE NEXT.
>> WE'RE ALWAYS WORRIED. THAT'S
WHY I WROTE THE CHECK. PEOPLE.
WE KNOW THAT FOR EVERY PERSON
THAT WE CHECKED, THERE'S MANY
MORE PEOPLE THAT WE'RE NOT
CHECKING BECAUSE THERE'S JUST
TOO MANY PEOPLE OUTSIDE.
AND MINNESOTA'S EIGHTY SEVEN
COUNTIES EIGHTY DO NOT HAVE
ENOUGH SHELTER SPACE ON A
REGULAR NIGHT. AND YES, THAT IS
A MATH PROBLEM. THE JOHN SAID
SOMETHING TO ME THAT STRUCK.
HE SAID TOO OFTEN WHEN WE TALK
ABOUT THE CHILDREN AND ADULTS
LIVING OUTSIDE EXPERIENCING
HOMELESSNESS, WE TALK ABOUT IT
LIKE A MATH PROBLEM. AND THAT'S
NOT WHAT THIS IS. THIS IS
A HUMAN BEING CRISIS. HENNEPIN
COUNTY HAS THE MOST PEOPLE WHO
WILL BE ON SHELTER TONIGHT. SO
IF YOU SEE ANYONE ADULT, A YOUNG
PERSON THAT NEEDS HELP , YOU CAN
CALL THE TEAM. JOHN IS ON THE
ST. STEPHEN STREET TEAM SIX ONE
TWO EIGHT SEVEN NINE SEVEN