Growing up as a kid in the sticks of northern Minnesota, I had never seen a homeless person (that I knew of), until the first time my parents took me and the sibs on a trip to “The Cities” as we called it — otherwise known as the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area. To us, it was all one big string of lights, buildings, cars, and people. Among them, homeless people. Until that time, I had never seen someone sleeping over a grate or in an alley or anything like that. Being all of seven, of course I stared and wondered, where is their home? At that age, could I have even known the big picture?
According to the latest survey, there are over 10,000 homeless in the state. Of course, trying to count homeless is not an easy task so the numbers both locally and nation-wide are difficult to pin down. We do know that, far from the stereotypes of homeless people from my youth of being a bunch of lazy bums, those numbers include any number of families with children, those with mental illness, and veterans. There are never enough shelters, there are never enough beds, there is never enough help for those who can use it.
That’s why this story from Minnesota Public Radio was not a total shocker. It was, however, still maddening. With the growth of the light-rail transit network across the metro area, many of those with nowhere to go are using the trains as a place to stay warm, to stay safe, and to try and get some sleep. Shelters who run out of room have been known to provide tokens for rides to those they have to turn away. They can purchase them at a discount from the agency that operates the system.
As one might imagine, conflicts between the riders have ensued, putting the Metro Transit police force in an often-times difficult position.
Either way until there is enough room and support systems to handle the population, this will continue. I’m open to suggestion as to what any solutions could be.