The Link

LGBTQ+ Youth Are Overrepresented in Minnesota’s Homeless Youth Population. 

1 in 4 young people experiencing homelessness in Minnesota identify as LGBTQ+. Many are kicked out or disowned by their families simply for being who they are.

In response to the needs voiced by youth, The Link launched Project Live Out Loud (PLOL) in 2016 — a program co-created with young people who identify as LGBTQ+ and have lived experience with homelessness — and designed PLOL to directly address the widespread marginalization and rejection LGBTQ+ youth face in traditional homeless services. PLOL was the first culturally-specific program for LGBTQ+ youth experiencing homelessness in the country, and today- The Link is the largest housing provider for LGBTQ+ youth experiencing homelessness in Minnesota.  

PLOL is a rapid rehousing program that provides safe, stable housing and wraparound supportive services for approximately 35 LGBTQ+ youth across the Twin Cities each year.  PLOL offers a vital, youth-centered response to homelessness, providing safety, support, and opportunity for some of the state’s most vulnerable youth. In the PLOL Housing Program, youth can live free from the worry of harassment or violence due to their identities or whom they love. It is a space where young people can truly live out loud without fear or prejudice.

The Link is Here for Youth– and You Can Be Too. 

As the largest provider of supportive housing for LGBTQ+ youth in Minnesota, The Link ensures that every young person has a safe place to call home — a place where they are seen, supported, and valued for exactly who they are.

But we can’t do it alone. With threats to federal funding and declining investment in DEI initiatives, we need our community's support now more than ever.

Your generous donation will help provide vital housing, support and basic needs for LGBTQ+ youth in our community! This Pride Month, The Link needs to raise $5,000 through Give OUT Day to support our housing needs for LGBTQ+ youth at The Link. Together, we can continue to empower local young people as they transition out of homelessness, heal from trauma, build stability, and work to achieve their goals!  

About The Link

The Link is a youth and adult led non-profit that provides crisis support, emergency shelter and housing to over 2,000 youth and young families in the Twin Cities each year. We offer a safety net for youth often left behind, providing programs designed to meet the needs of BIPOC youth, LGBTQIA+ youth, young parents, and more. No one should have to trade sex for a safe place to stay. And no young family should have to sleep in a car or outside because they don’t have a home. 

Learn more at www.thelinkmn.org