“Where did you sleep last night?”
Lisa Gustner asks the question as she talks with people on E. Lake Street in south Minneapolis on a gray November day.
She and her colleague Mervel LaRose approach people they suspect might be struggling with homelessness. Others on the street call out to them after seeing their clothing emblazoned with the name of Hennepin County’s Streets to Housing Program, for which Gustner and LaRose do outreach as part of the county’s response to homelessness.
Asking where someone slept the night before helps Gustner gauge how severe their situation is and if they may qualify for county services.
“Some people don’t sleep, so they stay up all night,” she said.
That’s why it’s common to see people experiencing homelessness sleeping in public areas during the day, she said.
