Beacon’s Bimosedaa – part of a vital response to homeless encampments
Earlier today, Beacon released a statement on the closing of Camp Nenookaasi:
“Minnesota’s crisis of unsheltered homelessness demands short and long-term solutions—and the moral, economic and societal costs of inaction are extraordinary. The displacement of residents at Camp Nenookaasi yesterday by the City of Minneapolis underscores the enormity of this community need, and of our collective failure to respond with the fierce urgency, care and scale this moment demands. Beacon stands in partnership with those who are meeting the immediate needs of Camp Nenookaasi residents, as well as those who are committed to building a future where ALL people have a home.”
Encampments are one symptom of a society that has vastly underfunded affordable housing for years. Wait lists for crucial rent support are years, sometimes decades, long, and people in need of affordable housing have nowhere to go. Critical housing is being developed far too slowly, with two-thirds of new affordable developments turned down due to a lack of public funding. Each year, tens of thousands are forced to experience preventable homelessness because the abundant resources of our society haven’t been channeled to supports that provide people with a home.
Beacon’s key role in the broader housing services continuum is in providing non-time limited, culturally relevant, supportive housing – a long-term solution to housing insecurity and homelessness. Supportive housing pairs rent support with onsite services tailored to what each person needs to find stability and thrive.
Just last week, a new Beacon building, Bimosedaa – Ojibwe for “Let’s walk together” – opened. Located in downtown Minneapolis, Bimosedaa offers 48 homes with culturally-relevant support services tailored toward members of the Native community. The vision of Bimosedaa came as a response to the Wall of Forgotten Natives, an encampment established in 2018. In partnership with many in the community, including Red Lake Nation, Avivo, and congregations, it took Beacon five years to articulate the vision, assemble the funding, and build the homes. Though five years is a long time, this pacing is actually impressively fast for deeply affordable housing developments and was only possible thanks to concerted efforts by Beacon, our partners, the city, county, and state to bring all the resources to bear. We celebrated alongside partners as we welcomed the first Bimosedaa residents just last week.
A second Wall of Forgotten Natives encampment was established in the summer of 2023, once again bringing attention to the crisis of homelessness and the lack of viable options for low-income members of the Native community. When this second Wall of Forgotten Natives was closed, many from that community established and moved to Camp Nenookaasi in south Minneapolis – the encampment that was cleared beginning on January 4, 2024.
Among other things, this cycle of encampments and displacements for neighbors and relatives serves as a dire reminder that our society has failed to invest in home anywhere close to the scale of the need. Until we do, encampments are likely to persist.
The community need for more supportive housing is profound. These homes are specifically designed to meet the needs expressed by neighbors like those who were living at Nenookaasi. Individuals who will live at Bimosedaa will benefit from wrap-around supportive services and affordable homes. This allows them the support they need to find a path to stable, long-term housing. To build and then provide safe, stable, supportive housing, Beacon and other nonprofits need more resources than we currently have access to. While we have begun operations, Bimosedaa itself is grossly under-supported, despite the fact that the community needs Beacon and our partners to offer this as a real solution to the crisis.
Home is the foundation of our lives. It’s past time to fund it like the priority it truly is.
To learn how you can directly support neighbors moving into Bimosedaa with a donation or supplies, as well as call on elected officials to increase funding for transformative housing solutions, email Rev. Emily Goldthwaite at egoldthwaite@beaconinterfaith.org
