In our most recent articles we’ve shared our experience with building a new, supportive housing model for foster youth in Minnesota. But equally important are the stories behind that work. They remind us that while policies, partnerships, and housing models matter, their true value is measured in the opportunities they create for our young residents. Ty is one of those residents and with his permission we're honored to share his story.

As we moved from concept to daily operation, our vision for PERIS Hill encountered the realities of implementation. What had felt coherent and aligned on paper now had to function within a complex web of funding requirements, neighborhood dynamics, service delivery systems, property management norms, and human relationships. As soon as we opened doors, we unearthed a truth:  innovation is rarely linear. It requires continuous learning, adaptation, and humility. Now, five years into operation, we’re sharing our experience, not because we've found every answer, or would ever claim perfection, but because we believe the foster care, homelessness, and broader supportive housing fields can only grow stronger when we are all willing to share and discuss both our successes and our challenges.

Young people aging out of foster care face some of the highest risks of housing instability and homelessness in the United States. Across studies, between one-third and nearly half of youth who age out of foster care will experience homelessness by their mid-twenties, a rate many times higher than their peers. This instability is not episodic—it is patterned and persistent. Youth with out-of-home placement histories experience homelessness earlier, more frequently, and for longer durations than their peers. They also show disproportionate rates of involvement with the criminal legal system, early parenting, mental health challenges, and underemployment. Not as a result of individual failure, but clearly as a reflection of conditions (both systematic and situational) that make sustained stability extraordinarily difficult during their transition to adulthood.

The Administration has asked the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to cut its workforce by about half, and threatened reductions to programs and funding. Nearly 165,000 Minnesotans rely on direct support from federal housing programs run by HUD - support that creates lasting housing solutions and strengthens communities across the state. If enacted, these cuts will have devastating consequences. We need to act now!