Youth Link opens doors to homeless kids during cold snap

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Sunday could be a dangerous night for people who don’t have a place to stay, so a non-profit organization is providing some relief.

Youth Link is a drop-in center for homeless youth that is generally only open during the day and is closed on weekends.

With the current cold snap, however, they’re keeping their doors open all night.

“We just don’t want to lose a life,” Executive Director of Youth Link Heather Huseby said. “It’s about a life that we’re saving.”

Huseby and her staff made the decision to take in young people for the night, after seeing the forecast. She says they do so every time the temperature dips below ten degrees.

“There are young people on the streets, young people on the trains and buses,” Huseby said. “People between 18 and 24 years old who have nowhere to go.”

Huseby says most young people don’t feel safe at the adult shelters, and there aren’t many options outside of that. Some, she says, will couch hop or stay with a friend while others will sleep on the light rail or buses.

The center was expecting somewhere between 20 and 25 youth to take advantage of the emergency shelter.

“It’s a strain on our resources, but staff are more concerned about the youth in their lives,” Huseby said.

They’ll also be handing out coats and gloves and providing a warm meal. Lockers and shower facilities were also available.