'Steps in the right direction' amid growing homelessness crisis in Olmsted County
The homeless population appears to be growing in Olmsted County and public agencies have responded with encampment sweeps and by closing public restrooms.
MPR News reporter Catharine Richert sat down with Dan Fifield of The Landing MN — a nonprofit working to support people facing homelessness in the area.
Fifield co-founded the organization with his wife in 2018 to address the lack of overnight shelters available for dozens of displaced Minnesotans, as well as guidance and resources during the day.
Fifield says demand for services like meals, a shower, access to laundry, meeting with social service workers and health care provided by volunteers, has gone up dramatically over the last six months, going from 50 to 60 to upwards of 130 per day.
Create a More Connected Minnesota
MPR News is your trusted resource for the news you need. With your support, MPR News brings accessible, courageous journalism and authentic conversation to everyone - free of paywalls and barriers. Your gift makes a difference.
While homelessness in Rochester isn’t a new challenge, it’s getting more and more attention.
“The pandemic from an organizational standpoint for us was probably the best thing that ever happened because it made that need for a day center more real,” Fifield explains.
Fifield says Mayo Clinic’s presence draws many people to Rochester for help they can’t find elsewhere, and who then run out of money for medical care.
Further, Fifield adds that people released from the nearby adult detention center often don’t have the resources to leave the area or simply have no place to go.
Those discharged from substance and alcohol abuse centers plus the 15 to 20 Minnesotans facing eviction each week in Olmsted County are also faced with homelessness.
People in these situations and more, says Fifield, find their way to The Landing MN for help. However, he says there are “very few beds for a whole lot of people” in Rochester, underlining the immediate need for a larger, more advanced emergency shelter.
The biggest thing people can do to help is to donate, Fifield says, whether it be volunteering your time, cash or a pair of blue jeans.
Learn more about The Landing MN and its mission at its website.