Minneapolis City Council approves funding for new homeless shelters

The Minneapolis City Council has approved funding for three new shelters to help people facing homelessness, as the park board downsizes encampments at city parks.

An $8 million package will help fund three new shelters in Minneapolis: one to help the Native American population, a women's shelter in north Minneapolis, and "Exodus 2," a 167-unit housing development for medically-frail people in the Elliot Park neighborhood.

The shelters are all expected to be open by the fall of 2021 with the emergency shelter for the Native American population hoping to be ready by this December.

Along with the housing projects, the city councils says it plans to announce further actions next month to deal with homeless issues.

The approval comes a week after the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board moved to clear out encampments at several city parks and limiting the number of tents allowed at each park.