Abstract
In the summer of 2018, an affordable housing crisis in Minneapolis, Minnesota led to the erection of a homeless encampment infamously labeled, “Tent City.” Publicized by media as a camp for homeless Native Americans, pervasive myths and stereotypes filled the airwaves while public agencies and nonprofit organizations raced to find solutions to this community crisis before the cold winter months settled in. Written from the perspective of an Indigenous woman working in the social services sector of Minneapolis, along with her faculty advisor in a public and nonprofit graduate program, this article: 1) identifies issues of homelessness in Native American communities, 2) dispels myths and stereotypes about Native Americans that impede meaningful progress, 3) explores barriers to safe and secure housing for Native Americans and other marginalized communities, 4) identifies states and countries leading the way to solve homelessness, and 5) suggests best practices and solutions to the ongoing homelessness crisis.
Highlights
Journal of Public and Nonprofit AffairsNative American Homelessness and Minneapolis’ Infamous Tent City: Dispelling Myths and Stereotypes to Uncover Solutions
As is the case in much of the country, the Twin Cities area of Minnesota
Systemic inequalities should not be uncoupled from local policing practices, and even the 2018 draft plan to deal with Tent City noted that “city and county officials [were] concerned that a law enforcement–first approach would stoke tension among homeless residents, put them at risk of jail, and make it more difficult for people to transition into shelter”
Summary
Native American Homelessness and Minneapolis’ Infamous Tent City: Dispelling Myths and Stereotypes to Uncover Solutions. The Red Lake Indian Reservation in northern Minnesota stepped into action during the Tent City crisis, offering a solution to Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey to temporarily house all encampment residents and to build a nearby apartment building for low–income people of all affected races as a more permanent solution than the outdoor tents (Lee, 2019; Sepic & Nesterak, 2018) This intervention may have led to the characterization that only Native Americans were experiencing homelessness of this nature. Given that much of the services provided were geared toward addiction, the idea that the camp was comprised entirely of Native American drug users was widely publicized These inaccurate portrayals of Tent City were detrimental to the Twin Cities Indigenous community, in the way that stereotypes often are. These efforts are not the most effective in addressing and remedying the specific issues (Lehman, 2017)
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