Community - Making headway

After experiencing a brief decline, the number of unsheltered homeless people in Dakota County exceeded pre-pandemic levels in 2023.

As we do annually, we went into communities and identified people without a permanent place to live. Last year, that number was 80 — up more than 11 percent over 2019 figures. We used state emergency rental assistance programs to provide aid during the pandemic. Temporary halts on evictions also kept more people in housing until those protections tapered off in 2022.

Yet those living on the streets only represent a portion of people in need of housing support.

For people struggling with housing, Dakota County offers help in several ways:

• Homelessness prevention

• Emergency shelter

• Housing stability

Prevention

Our first priority is keeping people in their homes during a struggle.

Dakota County offers a housing clinic at eviction court, where case workers and lawyers offer support after an eviction filing. This effort served 755 households in 2023 and helped maintain housing for 83 percent of those individuals and families. This year, we expect to serve about 1,000 households through the program, with a goal of keeping even more people housed.

Now in stable housing after shelter stay: 79% youth

Our emergency rental assistance program, supported with state funds, provides rent and utility assistance to support people facing eviction. Last year, we helped 338 Dakota County households maintain their housing.

Dakota County also provides flexible support services, which target underlying issues for people facing housing instability. We provide those services on-site at several apartment buildings throughout the county. Last year, we also started taking referrals, so people facing housing instability can get support regardless of where they live. Those services assisted 584 Dakota County households in 2023.

Now in stable housing after shelter stay: 59% families

Emergency shelter

We’re also ready to help when people fall through the cracks.

Dakota County offers street outreach for people living in cars, outside or other places where they’re exposed to the elements. Last year, our efforts reached 925 individuals or families.

We expect that number to reach 1,000 this year.

We provide emergency shelter in two ways — a hotel-based system for youth, families and single adults and the Dakota Woodlands shelter in Eagan for families.

The percentage of people who moved on from our shelter system to stable housing last year were:

• 79 percent of youth.

• 72 percent of single adults.

• 59 percent of families at Dakota Woodlands.

• 32 percent of families who stayed in hotels when Dakota Woodlands was full.

We aim to boost those numbers to 80 percent this year, with plans in development for a permanent site for emergency shelter for single adults.

The county’s rental assistance and housing search services help people move on toward the goal of longterm, stable housing that is reliable, affordable and meets their needs.

Housing stability

Provided through both our Social Services department and the Dakota County Community Development Agency, we offer different options to reduce homelessness:

Rapid rehousing: Short-term rental assistance and case management.

Last year, 77 percent of the 76 households we served moved on to permanent housing.

Housing stability services: Case managers help establish housing stability for people leaving shelters.

More than 80 households were served last year — 63 percent of which achieved housing stability.

Permanent supportive housing:

We provide on-site case managers to people in three apartment buildings — Cahill Place in Inver Grove Heights, Lincoln Place in Eagan and Haralson Place in Apple Valley. These low-income apartments serve families, youth and people living with disabilities. Last year, 89 percent of the households served through this housing achieved housing stability.

Stable housing is vital to living a healthy, productive life. We’re committed to helping our residents struggling with homelessness or housing instability to get the resources they need to thrive.