Hennepin Avenue between 5th and 10th Streets is a place where Minnesotans from diverse cultures and backgrounds converge on a regular basis. With our three historic theatres, the Trust attracts 600,000 people to the area each year. With its apartments, restaurants and corporate offices, Hennepin Avenue is host to commuters, visitors and long-term residents. The area is also the site of the highest density of homeless shelters in the region: on any given night 1,200 people receive temporary shelter within a 5-block radius of the Orpheum Theatre. All of these factors create a busy, socially complex and often intense environment. And this is a particularly important moment for the area as the Department of Public Works is in the planning phase of a four-year long (2019 – 2022) reconstruction of Hennepin Avenue between Washington Avenue and 12th streets.

Shelter residents are evacuated from the facilities daily, at 9am. This was an actual improvement that occurred last year, the time used to be 7am. There are little to no daytime activities provided to shelter seekers and many of them flock to the Central Library, where they have one full time social worker to connect people experiencing homelessness with services and job training. Others simply wait along Hennepin Avenue sitting on uncomfortable, antisocial concrete planters, some panhandling, some sleeping. Many also go to work.

Tension arises for business and property owners as the constant influx of our communities most vulnerable to the built environment attracts illegal activity. Around the Harbor Light shelter on any given day you can find sometimes up to 50 people just hanging around, sitting on the ground or hanging out in cars. Per the First Precinct Inspector and the Downtown Improvement Districts Safety Commissioner, the arrests that occur (regularly) in the surface parking lot that directly abuts the shelter have been drug dealers with addresses in the city (in other words, they are not residents, but are instead preying on them.) There are also incidents of prostitution and gang related crime. Per the Captain of Harbor Lights, criminal predators in the area are a serious problem for so many residents, many of whom are recovering from drug and alcohol addiction, and/or living with mental illness.

Something to note, the Director of Public Works was not aware of our shelter seeking population, nor was the project manager of the Hennepin Avenue reconstruction. Which is why our involvement with the reconstruction efforts very critically includes community engagement with this community via our regular visioning sessions both at Harbor Light and at Youth Link. Our partnerships with Mad Dads and Kulture Klub Collaborative are affording paid opportunities via 5 to 10 on Hennepin that increase both organizations capacities via paid community engagement for Mad Dad’s, paid art internship for KKC as well as the new strategy this summer to have KKC fully program our stage for all three events. All three themes for 5 to 10 were developed with and for the residents at Harbor Light and KKC. The amenities and activities we will have were culled from our sessions and not only include our games and entertainment, but also partnerships with services that have been requested via Outfront MN, and HCMC Healthcare for the Homeless program. Youth Link, Gaia Democratic School, and MDID have partnered with us as well.

In August, Erin Sayer and Bianca Pettis embarked on creating a mural on the Hennepin facing corner of the Harbor Light facility. This mural was conceptualized via brainstorming sessions with residents led by the Mad Dads and the artists, and facilitated by Hennepin Theatre Trust. In the 3 weeks that the mural was created, we provided daytime activities in the parking lot, as well as food and water, and safe spaces to gather (tables, chairs, etc.) Our paid youth intern learned commercial painting skills and we engaged residents to clean up the lot and help us with safety on site. The parking lot owner provided $10K in surface adn fencing improvements.This work of public art visually lays claim to the area with and for residents, and the transformation was recognized winning "Best Public Art" and "Best Public Realm Improvement" overall for the City of Minneapolis and the 2017 MDID Greening Awards.

We hosted a celebration in the lot themed “State Fair in the City.” Via our brainstorming sessions August was identified as a back to school time when Minnesota families look forward to going to the fair as a bookend to summer, which is an activity that is exclusive to those experiencing homelessness due to the cost. The youth and adults alike were very excited at the idea of bringing some of those elements to our 5 to 10 on Hennepin program that activates surface parking lots with live music, family friendly games and activities, food and facilities, and community outreach.

The Harbor Light Mural brings visibility of this community not only as a valued part of our neighborhood, but one that is entitled to belong. We look to 5 to 10 on Hennepin to be a catalyst for increased human service and educational partnerships through the arts and entertainment platform we provide.