Youth Are Resilient
Our Mission
Avenues partners with youth experiencing homelessness to achieve their dreams.
For more than 28 years, Avenues has supported youth ages 16-24 in Hennepin County. Whether a young person needs someplace to stay for just one night, or a year and a half, Avenues support youth to find their path out of homelessness. We do that by providing a stable home, building trusting relationships, and navigating the youth’s education, career, health and wellness and housing goals.
Our Vision
A community where all youth flourish.
Our Values
Avenues work is guided by the 9 Evidence-based, Guiding Principles to Help Youth Overcome Homelessness and our core values: equity, community, respect and dignity, trust, liberation and anti-oppression.
At Avenues, we believe:
- Homelessness does not define a person. It is just one part of a journey that we are here to help young people navigate.
- Nearly all youth experiencing homelessness have or are experiencing trauma. Therefore, mental health is at the center of all our work.
- There is no one reason why youth experience homelessness – it’s intersectional. Systems of oppression, racism and poverty are some of the root causes of homelessness. Without addressing these systems, homelessness will persist.
- Youth are resilient, inspiring, and the drivers of their own journey. With stability, trust and youth-centered supports, their dreams can become reality.
In 2018, Avenues adopted a new three-year strategic plan, mission statement and core values. Our strategic plan goals are:
