Avenues for Homeless Youth Gets New Executive Director

Avenues for Homeless Youth wants to help homeless youth become thriving adults.

As the 12-bed facility in Brooklyn Park near the intersection of Brooklyn Boulevard and Brooklyn Avenue reaches its three-year anniversary, Avenues for Homeless Youth named a new executive director, Katherine Meerse, who hopes to continue to grow and meet the needs of the community.

“We know that on any given night in Minnesota six thousand youth are homeless and unaccompanied and are everywhere. They are in the suburbs as well as in rural communities and in the city. They are disproportionately youth of color and identify as LGBTQ,” says Meerse. “We also know youth don’t choose to be homeless. They would much rather be home and with families and safe. They become homeless when homes and systems fail them.”

There are two opportunities coming up to meet the new executive director. An open house will be held at the Minneapolis location on 1708 Oak Park Avenue North on Wednesday, Jan. 10, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. A celebration of the third anniversary of the opening of Brooklyn Avenues will be held at the Elks Club on 2875 Brookdale Drive in Brooklyn Park on Feb. 28.