Open Your Heart provided The Bridge with funding to help provide youth participating in their emergency shelter and housing programs with necessary items for them to be successful in school and to help reduce the educational disparities affecting homeless youth, and increasing their prospects for a better life.
Founded in 1970 by local activist Sister Rita Steinhagen as one of the nation’s first youth shelters, The Bridge has impacted thousands of youth and families across multiple generations. Helping homeless youth succeed in school is a key focus in all of their emergency shelter and housing programs. In 2019, The Bridge responded to 7,097 crisis calls and text messages, provided emergency shelter to 529 youth, transitional housing to 18 families, affordable housing for 18 youth, shelter and case management to 55 Hennepin County-involved youth, and information and resources to 887 youth via street and site-based community outreach. Thank you The Bridge for Youth for all that you do for youth experiencing homelessness!