Destiny and her two friends pose for a picture outside a St Paul shelter. They are three of the 10,233 people homeless in Minnesota
"It's an every day struggle," she said, while hanging out with her friends outside a shelter in St Paul. "I'm always trying to find the next meal, you know bus money, getting a job, and a place to sleep."
She is what's called a "couch hopper" where she finds different places to sleep.
That category is one of the fastest growing segments of the homeless population.
"They are staying in tents, or sleeping on light rail," said Michelle Decker-Gerrard, the co-director of the Wilder Foundation's Minnesota Homeless study.
According to the report, Minnesota’s homeless population peaked in 2012 with 10,214 people but fell between 2012 and 2015. However, the homeless portion of Minnesota’s population has remained fairly consistent over the years, representing less than 1 percent of the state’s total residents.
"We really are seeing a housing crisis in Minnesota."
Decker-Gerrad said they track the state’s homeless population every three years, picking one day to send out about 1,200 volunteers to help count.
She said the rise in homelessness between 2015 and 2018 came as the number of homeless adults ages 25 to 54 grew 20 percent.
The lack of affordable housing only adds to the crisis.
"The rental vacancy rate is hovering around 1 percent."
The Legislature is considering a bill that would invest $15 million dollars per biennium in funding for emergency services to support the homeless.
Advocates are also seeking an increase in the Minnesota Family Investment Program, which gives cash assistance to families and hasn’t risen since 1986.