Minnesota nonprofits urge legislators to boost funding for homeless services

When Robert Miller had nowhere else to go, a resource center on the edge of downtown Minneapolis offered a lifeline — helping him find an apartment and providing support at a desperate time.

That lifeline, the Mary F. Frey Opportunity Center, is the only day-services center of its kind in Minneapolis, providing free meals, showers and resources for about 800 people a month. But leaders of Catholic Charities Twin Cities, which runs the center, say it may close this summer if legislators don't approve more state funding for homeless services statewide.

"This is like a second home for a lot of people," said Miller, 61, a retired construction worker from Texas. "This is the only place that has the resources you need."

Minnesota nonprofits are pressing lawmakers to appropriate more than $200 million for homeless shelters across the state. Those dollars are included in the House health and human services budget bill, but a $150 million chunk is left out of the Senate version.​​​​​​