The Duluth poverty rate was 17.7% in 2021. The past few years have not helped. “It’s a big thing and it’s hitting quite a few thousand people,” says Ryan Glenn, an advocate for the Homeless Person’s Bill of Rights (HPBR) in Duluth.
The HPBR has had some success in the past decade; panhandling and sleeping in cars overnight are now allowed due in part to the efforts of the organization. Going forward, Glenn wants to focus on resources as well as the basic needs. "What we want to try to attack now is this increase in poverty in Duluth and the inaccess to food and shelter that we have."
The public perception of homelessness in Duluth is varied. "It's two-sided in a way," says Glenn. "I hear a litany of stories of housing woes, finding syringes in parks from parents... then you also, on the opposite side, hear this kind of shock and awe."
"We have a pretty big need," says Glenn" I think if we push together and come together, we can help fix some of the issues."
For more information or to get involved, visit the Homeless Person's Bill of Rights website.
