Minnesota Homeless Day on the Hill 2024
A Day of Homelessness Advocacy on the Hill
Hundreds of advocates attended the 2024 Minnesota Homeless Day on the Hill, hosted by Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless, to urge lawmakers to take action to end Minnesota’s homelessness crisis! This annual event presented an opportunity for Minnesotans to hear from local elected officials, meet their lawmakers, and network with fellow advocates. Although some components of Homeless Day on the Hill remain the same each year, there are always a few new opportunities. Here’s what the event looked like this year:
8:30 AM: GATHERING AT CENTRAL PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
Advocates started their day in the Friendship Room at Central Presbyterian Church, picking up their handy information folders and an official t-shirt before heading to the basement for some breakfast.
8:45 AM: A QUICK BREAKFAST WITH FRIENDS
The cafeteria filled up with service providers, clients, and neighbors — everyone is welcome in this community, and it doesn’t take long to start seeing familiar faces!
9:00 AM: PROGRAM STARTS WITH AIN DUH YUNG DRUM GROUP
Everyone migrated upstairs to the sanctuary for the start of the program, which kicked off with the Ain Duh Yung Drum Group!
9:05 AM: REMARKS FROM GOVERNOR WALZ AND LT. GOVERNOR FLANAGAN
The Minnesota Governor and Lieutenant Governor spoke about the power of stable, affordable housing, and emphasized the importance of using your voice to tell lawmakers what matters to you.
9:20 AM: REMARKS FROM REPRESENTATIVE KEELER, REPRESENTATIVE HOWARD AND REPRESENTATIVE CURRAN
Minnesota State Representatives Heather Keeler, Michael Howard, and Brion Curran shared stories of how advocacy makes a difference and hyped the crowd up for a long day at the Capitol!
9:45 AM: AIN DUH YUNG CENTER DRUM GROUP – TRAVELING SONG
All were invited to gather around the Ain Duh Yung Center Youth Drum Group for a Traveling Song.
9:50 AM: TRAVEL TOGETHER TO THE CAPITOL
Advocates made their way to the Minnesota State Capitol — the front steps are the perfect spot for photos!
10:00 AM – 4:00 PM: MEETINGS WITH LAWMAKERS
One of the most exciting parts of Homeless Day on the Hill is meeting with the people who represent you. The Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless schedules brief meetings with both Senators and Representatives from nearly all of Minnesota’s 67 districts, so it’s easy to make connections with lawmakers and other constituents from your district!
In The News
The 2024 Minnesota Homeless Day on the Hill was mentioned in two news publications from the Star Tribune! Sandra, who lives at Catholic Charities Evergreen Residence in Minneapolis, shares her story and describes how it feels to represent hundreds of other people experiencing homelessness. The other story details why data from the 2023 Wilder Research Homelessness Study was released on the same day as this year’s Homeless Day on the Hill—and features Roland, a resident at Catholic Charities Dorothy Day Place.