Avivo evacuates encampment to hotels & finds people housing

On May 28, just hours before a night of rioting and violence in Minneapolis following the murder of George Floyd, Avivo outreach staff coordinated a swift evacuation of more than 70 unsheltered people living near the Sabo pedestrian bridge, near Highway 55/Hiawatha Avenue in Minneapolis. Avivo, with the cooperation and support of various government entities, moved the individuals to two area hotels where they are now being connected to housing and supports.

This was the scene at one of the hotels where residents of the Minneapolis homeless encampment were being housed. Avivo staff had just purchased groceries, and this was only a portion of the total needed.

“That afternoon, our outreach team heard that in a matter of hours law enforcement was going to be clearing out the encampment,” shared Emily Bastian, Avivo vice president of chemical and mental health.

According to Bastian, within that short time the team had gained the support of Hennepin County, City of Minneapolis, Metropolitan Council, and the Minnesota Interagency Council on Homelessness to move people. “Our team had called a couple hotels… two of which gave overwhelming, generous responses to temporarily housing the individuals.”

Avivo’s housing team is providing 24/7 support as they match individuals with housing and supports. In less than two weeks, Avivo connected nine individuals with housing and has many with housing applications pending. The Avivo team has also connected everyone with mental health support, substance use resources, and primary medical care.

Avivo is working harder than ever – responding to people’s deep physical and personal needs as Avivo connects them to services. We couldn’t do this without the support of county and state agencies, the hotels, and a generous outpouring of individuals who have made donations of clothing and care kits.

We’re looking for groceries, hygiene kits, and move-in kits to support the individuals we evacuated from the Minneapolis homeless encampment. If you would like to donate a kit, visit our Urgent Needs page for details.