How supportive housing helped Iyanna transform her outlook and achieve her goals
Written by Dylan Novacek, Content Specialist
“For so long, I’d spend my time worrying about the next day, the next meal, or the next check,” Iyanna reflected. “But now that I am here at Nicollet Square, I can transform and strengthen my relationship with myself without needing to worry about tomorrow.”
Before coming to Nicollet Square, youth supportive housing from Beacon, Iyanna was craving a change. Years of instability had her stuck in fight or flight mode. After experiencing a personal loss and exiting an untenable situation, Iyanna would soon find herself without a home during the pandemic.
“It felt like I was thrown to the wolves,” Iyanna sighed. “Everything felt like one step forward and two steps back. So, imagine my surprise when I found a home of my own on New Years Eve of 2021.”
When Iyanna became connected to Nicollet Square, she found the right support and resources at the right time. Through her experience in supportive housing, Iyanna has been able to transform her outlook and achieve her goals.
Roadblocks to home
“I was 20-years old and felt like I couldn’t take care of myself,” Iyanna shared. “I had become hardened and cutthroat.”
Years of instability had shaped Iyanna into someone she didn’t resonate with. Couch hopping from one friend to the next, she felt as if she was a burden to those around her. Surviving off her skills like doing hair, making DIY crafts, and babysitting, Iyanna was doing whatever she could to get by.
“What some people may not realize about my generation is how the first couple years of our adult life were impacted by the pandemic,” Iyanna shared while speaking at Beacon’s 2024 Congregation Convening (pictured left). “When I would ask people who were older than me how to do these things to get stable and how to transition into adulthood, the adults around me didn’t have the answers. It made it that much harder to try and get an ID, let alone a stable job.”
Being without documentation, alongside feeling the effects of a global pandemic, meant that a lot was working against her. Unfortunately, many people currently experiencing homelessness still face the same challenges Iyanna was up against.
“Many of the challenges individuals in supportive housing face stems way before their lease signing. That can include years of unstable living or multiple episodes of homelessness, untreated mental health, addiction, abuse, and neglect,” explained Babette Jamison-Varner, Beacon’s Vice-President of Supportive Housing.
According to the Wilder Foundation, an estimated 13,300 Minnesota youth on their own experience homelessness over the course of a year, with youth making up about 15% of the total homeless population. A disproportionate amount of youth experiencing homelessness, specifically 73%, identify as Black or Indigenous.
Iyanna was constantly playing catchup in a system that was designed to fail her. As instability became her everyday experience, she would be surprised to soon find the right supports at the right time.
“I was spending a lot of time at the shelters from YouthLink. And then one day I got connected to a caseworker for the first time,” Iyanna said. “That is when I got my first tour of Nicollet Square.”
Coming to Nicollet Square
“The space felt so welcoming,” Iyanna recalled. “There was a great community space with a kitchen, and the apartments were bigger than most I’ve seen. But I wasn’t letting myself get my hopes up.”
(Pictured: Iyanna and other Nicollet Square residents at a building event in the community space.)
Iyanna felt it was best to keep her expectations low in case of disappointment. However, during a second visit to the building with her caseworker on New Years Eve of 2021, she would receive surprising news.
“I thought we were just coming by to look at another apartment. So, imagine my surprise when they handed me my own set of keys,” she exclaimed. “I went to my friends right away and played a prank. I told them I didn’t get approved, and then I flashed the keys. We all geeked out and celebrated! It was the new year, a new home, and a new me.”
Celebrating the new year at her apartment, Iyanna started 2022 off on the right foot. Moving in was a breeze thanks to Nicollet Square offering a closet of essentials for new residents to use. As she settled in, Iyanna breathed a sigh of relief.
How supportive housing inspires success
“Having access to everything I needed for my home, and knowing that there is a team of people downstairs who are ready to help me, made me realize that I was in a different type of housing. I wasn’t just in a place with reduced rent,” Iyanna paused. “This is my home. It makes me feel good!”
(Pictured: Nicollet Square’s case management team.)
“Everyone who has experienced homelessness has a very unique story that is a convergence of circumstance, situation, timing, and personality,” said Mark Miller, YouthLink’s Program Supervisor at Nicollet Square (pictured, upper right corner). “Our services are here to move individuals forward to overcome the challenges they face. Knowing that there are people in the building who are here to help gives residents a sense of responsibility and stability.”
At Beacon, we know the goal of supportive housing is to move people forward to a place of stability and wellbeing. At Nicollet Square, our onsite service partners from YouthLink work to break down the barriers young residents face so they can meet their full potential and remain stably housed.
For Iyanna, having access to a wide range of resources, paired with a deeply affordable rent, has meant she can achieve her goals.
“One service I took advantage of is YouthLink’s Workfast program, which helps residents get access to sustainable jobs and internships,” Iyanna said. “I had an internship with Minneapolis Parks and Rec, and I got a job at Butter Bakery (pictured left), which is right below us. It’s the longest I’ve held a job!”
Whether it’s connecting residents to career resources, bringing in onsite group therapy, community building and more, the staff at YouthLink help inspire success.
“Since coming here, I’ve been able to start therapy, work on my addiction issues, and work on living a healthy lifestyle. I am so proud of myself for that. This is the longest I’ve stayed in one place” Iyanna beamed.
A resolution for home
As Iyanna looks forward to another new year in her home at Nicollet Square, she is eager to continue setting goals. She is also eager to begin sharing her story. Recently, she shared her story to the Beacon collaborative at our 2024 Congregation Convening, pictured left.
“Being able to share my story feels therapeutic and empowering. Looking ahead, my goal this year is to enroll in school this spring, get my driver’s license, buy a car, and to build myself up so I can work a second job,” she asserted. “When I leave Nicollet Square one day, I hope to have my degree so I can be on my way to a career. I want to have a good credit score, a great resume, and be set up for greatness!”
For Iyanna, supportive housing has meant that she has the stable ground to address the traumas of the past, establish healthy habits, and pave the way for a future she believes in.
“Being in supportive housing takes a lot of unlearning of old habits and ways of thinking. I am not ashamed of my past. I am softening myself while not forgetting all the lessons I learned along the way,” Iyanna reflected. “It’s so crazy to think that I’ve been home for two years now. Thanks to Nicollet Square, I don’t have to be in fight or flight mode anymore.”
Without the stability of a home, it can be impossible to achieve your goals. At 12 of our Beacon homes, residents receive onsite services to help them thrive. Will you make a gift to sustain the services at homes like Nicollet Square? Click here to make a gift today.
