Plans move ahead for housing shelter after Moorhead City Council’s approval

MOORHEAD, Minn. (KVRR) — In the last year, about 400 young adults and children experienced homelessness in the Fargo-Moorhead area. And one non-profit is expanding its services to provide more aid.

“We’re going to be able to offer up to 25 beds for youth ages 18 to 24. And that’s huge because right now we’re a little limited with our capacity. And so when we were approached about the opportunity to purchase a facility that was no longer able to keep the doors open, we jumped on it,” said Tom Cook, Youthworks Director of Operations for Eastern ND and West-Central MN.

Youthworks is a non-profit that has helped homeless and housing-challenged young adults under the age of 22 with housing and other needs. Serving five locations across North Dakota for the past forty years. Now, a new location in Moorhead will provide young adults with a home for up to 18 months as transitional housing.

“We want it to be a supportive place. A place where they can feel comfortable to be themselves and to express opinions and to collaborate and come home after school or come home after work. And a place where they feel like it is their home,” said Cook.

Some of the services Youthworks provides are partnered by local businesses. Teaching job-seeking skills, cooking, car maintenance, and finance.

“We want to make sure that youth have the opportunity to dream. To become the next, whatever they want to be. Oftentimes, that’s been something that’s been missing from their life. So if we can create those connections and opportunities, that’s what we’re going to do,” said Thomas Hill, Community Engagement Officer at Youthworks.

Youthworks hopes to have the housing available by the beginning of March.

The new location at 502 and 512 3rd Ave S replaces what once was the Ecumen Evergreens, a senior living facility.