Mission
The mission of Avenues for Homeless Youth is to provide emergency shelter, short term housing and support services for homeless youth in a safe and nurturing environment. Through such service, Avenues seeks to help youth achieve their personal goals and make a positive transition into young adulthood.
History
Avenues for Homeless Youth opened its doors on December 5, 1994 as Project Foundation. It was created to address the lack of safe shelter for homeless young people in the Twin Cities metropolitan area who could not be reunified with their families due to abuse, abandonment, neglect or exploitation. Facing adult issues and a grim future—lack of housing, unemployment, incomplete education and lack of access to healthcare—many of these young people were moving from youth homelessness and crisis into adult long term homelessness.
In January 2004, the organization created a new strategic plan, a new mission statement, and a new vision statement. The new name, Avenues for Homeless Youth, was selected because it describes the population served and its commitment to achieving measurable outcomes. Since its opening, Avenues has served more than 2,000 homeless youth.