Coalition Returns to Council to Say Miigwech

First up on the agenda of the Tuesday, June 9, 2015, monthly meeting of the Red Lake Tribal Council was the Nameless Coalition for the Homeless. Nameless Coalition members Mike Bredon, Keni Johnson and Carolyn Jacobs had returned to the Council to say thanks for kicking-off the fundraising efforts for the group.

Red Lake was first on the list when the group began fundraising late last year. The Coalition visited Red Lake at the November Council meeting. After a short presentation the Council voted unanimously to support the effort with a $5000 grant.

"We wanted to return to Red Lake to personally accept the $5,000 check promised, but more importantly to thank the Council for having faith in our project, with the very first large contribution. Getting that first donation is always the hardest," said Coalition member Mike Bredon in opening remarks to the Tribal Council.

Bredon told the Council how grateful he was that the tribe was the first to give a major donation, punctuating his thanks with a heart-felt personal story of how he had experienced chronic inebriation in his own family, which brought tears to some in the near capacity Council Chambers.

"The donation from Red Lake was the first large single donation that the Nameless Coalition received," explained member Keni Johnson. "We had recently opened our account at the Northwest Minnesota Foundation when we went to the November council meeting to ask for their support for our mission...'securing a safe, warm, overnight shelter for chronic inebriate males in the Bemidji community.' Their generous donation assisted us greatly in securing donations from Leech Lake, White Earth, Mdewakanton Sioux, City of Bemidji, Beltrami County, local churches, businesses and many, many private donations within the community."

"To date we have raised close to $150,000 and are in the process of identifying and moving forward on a site for this winter. We continue to fundraise, and are sincerely grateful to everyone who has supported us and really appreciate Red Lake Nation for their early support and commitment to the Nameless Coalition," concluded Bredon.

Red Lake Tribal Treasurer Annette Johnson then presented the group with a $5000 check while posing for a requested photo.

Donations to the Nameless Coalition for the Homeless can be made to the Northwest Minnesota Foundation, Nameless Coalition for the Homeless Fund, 201 Third Street NW, Bemidji, MN 56601. For more information call (218) 751-6201. Upcoming events will be listed on the coalition's Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/namelesscoalition.

Statement from Nameless Coalition

The Nameless Coalition for the Homeless, Stop-Gap Committee, is working toward securing and setting up a safe, warm, overnight shelter for the chronic inebriate in the Bemidji community, spurred by the recent deaths of some homeless people during the hard winters.

The generous donation from the Red Lake Tribal Council, the very first, acted as a catalyst for future fundraising and along with donations from Leech Lake, White Earth, Mdewakanton Sioux, Episcopal Church Women, Beltrami County, City of Bemidji and many private individuals, have assisted us in reaching our goal.

We have partnered with the Northwest Minnesota Foundation as our fiscal agent. They now hold $140,000 in our fundraising account. We have received our 501(c)(3) status, as well as our Minnesota State tax-exempt status.

Our active members, on the Stop-Gap Committee include: Reed Olson, chair, Kristi Tell Miller, treasurer, Keni Johnson, secretary, Bob Enger, Sandy Hennum, Stacy Lussier, Melanie Hough, Jorge Prince, Vanessa Burkman, Carolyn Jacobs, Kevin Williamson and Mike Bredon. We bring together experience in the business community, social services and concerned, committed volunteers.

Our current short-term goal is to secure a location for the shelter by July 15th, 2015. We have several possibilities and hope to be operating from November through April, our coldest months. Center City, a Duluth transitional housing group, is working to open a facility in Bemidji in the next 3 years. Their facility will serve a larger group of homeless and offer additional services.

Based on their assessment, we know we will continue to face a need for the chronic inebriate male. Our local law enforcement agencies, as well as Sanford Health are very supportive and understand the financial savings to the entire community by providing shelter, other than a jail cell or the emergency room.

Our projected costs to run a shelter for a 6 month period will be between $45,000-$50,000. These costs can be fine tuned upon making a commitment to a building. We will need to and plan to continue fundraising until we are sustainable beyond our first year.

Our group is committed to this project and the service it will provide to this under served population. We thank your council for your donation of $5,000 and are very grateful for your concern, compassion and continued support.