Housing Equity and Homelessness
Project for Pride in Living is a nonprofit organization based in Minneapolis and St. Paul Minnesota.
PPL builds the hope, assets, and self-reliance of individuals and families who have lower incomes by providing transformative affordable housing and career readiness services.
PPL strives to be an equitable and inclusive organization committed to elevating the voices of the communities they serve that are disproportionately affected by systemic inequities. PPL strives to create long-term stability, self-reliance, and success by stabilizing the economics of a household. PPL works to disrupt poverty and inequity by utilizing career readiness programs in order to provide participants with necessary skills to maintain employment.
Accessible and affordable housing has become a crisis in the United States, causing many families and individuals to be left without stable housing. PPL strives to provide affordable housing to those in need. Over the last three years I had the opportunity to work at PPL, in order to support residents and their families. I worked with PPL's youth literacy program as a program assistant. In my position I developed and conducted mindfulness and enrichment activities. I helped manage and oversee student mentors and program scholars. I completed a variety of trainings on trauma, diversity, and literacy among children. Through my work at PPL, I learned about the significant impact homelessness can have on families and youth. The consequences youth may face from homelessness include mental health issues, self-esteem issues, difficulty in school, financial strains, and emotional regulation issues. Working with PPL gave me a greater perspective on the issues of homelessness, affordable housing, and housing equity.