In 2020, Hennepin County committed to ending chronic homelessness by 2025. In an accompanying report, the County laid its goals out plainly: to make homelessness “rare, brief and nonrecurring.”
Five years later, now that we’re nearing the end of that proposed calendar goal, it’s worth asking: has the County properly dealt with the issue of homelessness?
The answer, all things considered, is more complicated than you might expect. Aiming to “end” chronic homelessness, let alone in five years, is both admirable and lofty. That said, it seems their efforts worked, at least to an extent.
In January 2025, government officials conducted their annual Point in Time (PIT) count, a “nationwide annual count of all people experiencing homelessness on a single night in January.” That data, according to the County, “found significantly fewer homeless families using emergency shelter, a marked reduction in unsheltered homelessness and fewer single adults experiencing homelessness overall.”
These are heartening changes, but they are insufficient. As recent snowfall and plummeting temperatures underline, living outdoors can turn unpleasant to deadly within hours. In January, the County had 809 permanent beds available for single adults, but the 2025 PIT survey found 1,524 single adults experiencing homelessness on January 22 of this year. Despite the County’s best efforts, the numbers simply aren’t lining up.
So: Now what? That report points towards a variety of strategies. First, they looked to increase the supply of “targeted permanent supporting housing,” with a goal of building “1,000 new units for our most vulnerable residents over 10 years.”
Fortunately, this wasn’t just rhetoric. For example, in August, the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority broke ground on a redevelopment at Spring Manor, 828 Spring St NE. In addition to rehabilitating existing units, it adds 15 more “deeply affordable” units.
“Deeply affordable,” in a housing context, denotes homes aimed at people earning below 30% of their area’s median income.
“We know what works,” the Hennepin County report says: “Permanent supportive housing.” While issues related to homelessness can be labyrinthine and multilayered, the plainest solution — building more units — is often the most effective.
Even the County acknowledges that this is not enough. The report goes on to list other factors important to countering homelessness. It lists increased single-room occupancy housing; diversifying and funding support services to help people stay in their homes; and creating “pathways to training and employment” to help people find economic stability.
None of this is by any means easy — least of all constructing new rooms or finding new beds.
Due to seizing supply chains, red-tape requirements behind construction and zoning, and the complex finances behind affordable housing, it’s logistically and economically difficult to build housing in the United States. This is not limited to Minnesota, and the state has overperformed relative to much of the country.
But red tape can be slashed, supplies can be subsidized and districts can be rezoned. These are far more complex matters than a simple binary option, and the current status quo exists for a reason. But it’s worth acknowledging when processes slow down progress or development. None of this is simple, but it is not insurmountable, either.
In November, Mayor Jacob Frey said that “Minneapolis is proving what’s possible. We’re out front, building affordability at a scale and pace that puts us on the national map. These investments mean hundreds more people housed, more families stable and a city that’s leading by example.”
On this front, the Mayor is right: the city has made admirable progress on public housing. But as the winter chill starts to creep in, the warmth of a bedroom ought to act as a reminder that there is still plenty of work to be done.