Joseph Maxwell lived in his car and shelters the last six years, always staying alert for danger even as he slept. Noise from other shelter guests and staff opening and shutting doors kept him awake at night. Staff checked on him every three hours at one shelter.
But that has all changed recently. Maxwell was one of the first residents to move into Bimosedaa, an affordable housing complex in downtown Minneapolis that offers supportive services with a special focus on the needs of Native tenants. It’s one of a handful of developments in Minnesota that caters to Native residents facing homelessness and struggling with substance abuse.
“Here, I fall right in a deep sleep,” said Maxwell, who moved into the building last December. “For the first week I was here, I didn’t hear anything. I caught up on all my sleep just from not being alerted.”
The nonprofits Beacon Interfaith Housing Collaborative and Avivo and the Red Lake Nation partnered to begin developing Bimosedaa in May 2019. The effort was a direct response to the city of Minneapolis evicting the Wall of Forgotten Natives homeless encampment in 2018.