New affordable housing complex serves Native tenants as a response to encampment evictions

Joseph Maxwell lived in his car and various shelters for the last six years, staying alert for danger even as he slept. Noise made by others kept him awake at night, as did staffers at one shelter checking on him every three hours.

Now that has all changed. Maxwell is one of the first to move into Bimosedaa, an affordable housing complex in downtown Minneapolis that offers supportive services with a special focus on the needs of Native American tenants. Eighteen residents currently live at Bimosedaa, 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 in 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."

https://www.startribune.com/new-affordable-housing-complex-serves-native-tenants-as-a-response-to-encampment-evictions/600340802/