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By Cirien Saadeh, PhD

A Historic Policy Change

Over the past decade, the homeless population living outside of a formal shelter rose by 93 percent in the Twin Cities metro-area (see page 2 of the “Families for Finance” executive summary). Faced with this emergency, in 2022 after nearly three decades in place, Hennepin County finally eliminated its “pay-to-stay” policy, which compelled unhoused individuals to relinquish a portion or all of their income to stay in a Hennepin County shelter.

The journey to abolishing this policy began in 2020, following the formation of the Family Financial Empowerment Collaborative (FFEC). Led by CURA’s Senior Research Associate Dr. Brittany Lewis, this coalition aimed to develop an alternative program that would compel Hennepin County to remove the pay-to-stay policy.

Research-Driven Approach

The coalition’s primary focus was on implementing a participatory action research process, which aimed to support shelter guests in achieving financial stability and empowerment. This collaborative approach culminated in the publication of a comprehensive report in 2023 titled “Families for Finance,” A Financial Empowerment Program for Shelter Guests: An Evaluation of Program Design and Pilot Program Execution. 

“The impetus for us, as researchers, was a very action-oriented, co-designed, process,” said Dr.  Lewis. “The thinking was, if we could illustrate to Hennepin County through a financial empowerment program what the value would be of not taking the pay-to-stay money, but matching their money and giving them support services, we could reduce the amount of folks that would return to shelter. And we could illustrate the value of getting rid of the policy.”

Program Implementation and Impact

The coalition co-designed a Financial Empowerment Program, named “Families for Finance,” based on feedback from shelter guests. The program was funded by the Pohlad Foundation to assist program participants in opening savings accounts and match the money they were saving.

“The Family for Finance program in itself is just amazing. I take what I learned from the program and I teach it to my children and I hope that they’re listening,” said Ashley, a FFEC action committee member and a participant in the program.

The coalition encompassed shelter leaders from People Serving People, the Pohlad Foundation, Research in Action, CURA researchers, and Hennepin County staff. The report researchers involved in this project include Dr. Lewis, Olivia Wilks, Madonna Morris, Yue Zhang, Arundhathi Pattathil Sasikumar, and Dr. Shana Riddick. 

Historical Context

The pay-to-stay policy originates from recommendations from the Minnesota State Legislature in the early 1990s as they attempted to respond to an increase in the homeless population across the state. Those recommendations resulted in policies like the Hennepin County pay-to-stay provision, passed in 1993.

Early Success and Policy Change

The Family for Finance program proved so successful that Hennepin County decided to eliminate the pay-to-stay policy even before the Coalition’s work was complete. “As a result of our advocacy and our partnership with Hennepin County, they moved forward and eliminated the policy while we were in the middle of the work, which is great. The reality is we had done enough for the County Board and others to see the value of eliminating the policy even before we had finished with our evaluation,” said Dr. Lewis. 

The coalition employed a participatory action research model, which prioritizes experiential knowledge in addressing problems stemming from unequal and harmful social systems and envisions alternatives to these systems.

Community-Centered Approach

“My research approach is that I have a technical skill that I want to make available to folks who are the experts of their own lives. And I only approach projects that the community, through their outspoken advocacy, tell us we’re not getting right,” said Dr. Lewis, who said the coalition process was built on power-sharing and consensus decision-making.

Dr. Lewis also highlighted the role of researchers as guides, helping shelter leaders understand the possibilities implications of policy changes and to understand the role of research as a tool for advocacy. “[Shelter guests] were our most trusted advisors and they were treated that way,” said Dr. Lewis. 

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