Helping Young Adults Find Stability
More Than a Place to Stay
Kelis is fearless. Her childhood taught her to keep moving forward, no matter the obstacles she faces.
Kelis is now a young adult, but she’s already navigated a lot of instability, including living without a permanent place to call home. In 2023, her living situation with a relative fell through and she made the diffcult decision to find emergency shelter.
“I wasn’t scared to go back to homelessness, or even worse,” Kelis said. “Life has shown me that things kind of always work out as long as you keep trying.”
Kelis was intentional about where she went given her experiences growing up. She called the Minnesota youth homelessness hotline. She found Catholic Charities Twin Cities Hope Street Youth Shelter. The main reason she chose Hope Street is because it offered more than a place to stay.
Catholic Charities Hope Street Youth Shelter
Hope Street provides young people with safe housing, case management, mental health counseling services, and more. Hope Street provides a space where residents can remain during the day to focus on their goals.
This was especially important to Kelis as she worked to find a steady job.
From the moment she arrived at Hope Street, Kelis began rebuilding her life. Hope Street staff helped her navigate resources, stay on track, and focus on what came next. She was connected with job opportunities and enrolled in a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) training program within weeks.
Catholic Charities Hope Street partners with local organizations, like Avivo, to connect people to job readiness, certifications, and help with work expenses.
Thanks to those supports, Kelis secured a reliable job as a CNA.
“Being here, I can actually talk to staff every day and see people when I wake up. It’s my family when I can’t go back to my family.”
Support and Resources to Move Forward
With safe shelter and consistent support, Kelis worked long hours and was able to save toward her future.
“Being here and not having to worry as much about expenses helped me save,” she said.
Just as important, Hope Street offered Kelis something else: a community.
“Being here, I can actually talk to staff every day and see people when I wake up,” Kelis said. “It’s my family when I can’t go back to my family.”
Through on site services like life skills training, therapy, and group activities, Kelis has found balance, connection, and space to reflect. The structure allows her to focus on her goals.
Building a Stronger Foundation
Now, Kelis is working to become financially stable and advance her career.
She credits Hope Street’s staff for making that possible. “The biggest resource here is the people,” she said. “They care, and they have integrity.”
Hope Street is more than a shelter, it’s a foundation for young people like Kelis. She has continued to move forward, stronger and more prepared for whatever comes next. Kelis is now living in a home of her own and has been working steadily at a new job.
