The homeless problem in the St. Cloud area could only be getting worse. I was joined on WJON by Benton County Commissioner Steve Heinen and Victoria Blonigen from Benton County Outreach.
Cathedral High School students are learning about homelessness in the community today. On the final day of their school year Cathedral 9th - 11th graders are scattered throughout the community.
Numerous homeless encampments this summer and fall made the homeless challenge in the St. Cloud area public. St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis explains that this isn't just a St. Cloud issue but an issue for surrounding communities and counties.
While the number of people suffering from homelessness is dropping statewide, they're increasing in Central Minnesota. The Wilder Foundation released numbers on Monday, showing the number of homeless people in Minnesota has dropped since 2012.
Over 400 Central Minnesota school kids are identified as homeless, according to numbers from the United Way. The statistics were gathered from a number of Central Minnesota school districts, with the largest portion coming from the St. Cloud area school district.