Fresh Start Twin Cities

Housing and Financial Support for Single Parents of Color in Minneapolis

Existing at or near the poverty level is precarious; and trying to navigate varying program qualifications can be overwhelming. If you earn over the designated low-income levels, you risk no longer qualifying for assistance, which can include subsidized housing. Yet, it takes time to become stable enough to afford and maintain even the most modest market rental rates; as well as obtain simple household items, a modicum of furnishings, daycare, transportation, etc. While working on the ground with leaders and organizers, speaking with government officials, and navigating resources, we recognized large sections of populations being underserved by current systems. 

Fresh Start Twin Cities was founded in November of 2020 with a vision to help bridge this transition out of poverty in Minneapolis. Our mission is “to cultivate culturally competent paths to personal growth and development for those who are unsheltered or at risk of becoming unsheltered through affordable housing, continued trauma-informed care, harm reduction, and community support opportunities.”

We are all only one bill away from losing everything and potentially becoming unhoused – even those who’s income falls outside of the federal poverty line. Our approach to addressing barriers that hold housing inequities in place are to try to remove them entirely. 

In the short term, this means providing financial aid for the benefit of the individual facing a barrier. These barriers could include, but are not limited to, outstanding rental debt, overdue utilities, vehicle repairs, assistance with rental application fees or deposits, and required documentation costs to secure a lease such as a birth certificate, ID, or passport. 

In the long term, removing barriers includes advancing structural and systems change through policy advocacy, organizing, and movement building. This goal can manifest in several ways including greater accessibility and opportunity to receive mental health care, restructuring the calculation of AMI to increase rent and housing affordability, and divesting from capitalist systems and moving toward collective framework and cooperative economics. 

Thank you for helping us remove these barriers for Single Parents of Color in Minneapolis!