Youth are most successful when they are able to remain in the communities where they are comfortable, have friends, attend school and go to work. Young people experiencing homelessness and housing instability are everywhere, including the suburbs of Hennepin County and their numbers are growing.
Oasis for Youth:
- Helps youth secure safe and stable housing in their own community.
- Supports youth as they finish high school and move on to post-secondary education or employment.
- Mobilizes the community to address the issues of youth homelessness and housing instability.
The Wilder Foundation conducts a statewide count of people experiencing homelessness every three years. The most recent data shows that the fastest growing segment of the homeless population is the group of unaccompanied youth aged 16 to 21.[i] The number of homeless youth in this age range grew by 57% from 2006 to 2009. At the same time, services to support these youth remained essentially unchanged. It is this vulnerable group of young people that Oasis for Youth is designed to serve.
[i] Homelessness in Minnesota: Results of the Wilder statewide survey, October 2010.
To see all of the Wilder Foundation's research on homelssness in Minnesota, please click here.


