Mission

Evergreen House was founded in 1977 to serve runaway and homeless youth. Today Evergreen House is a multi-program youth and family service organization serving the Greater Bemidji Area. Based in Beltrami County, located approximately 240 miles northwest of Minneapolis/St. Paul, Evergreen's programs draw youth and families from fifteen rural counties in northwest and north central Minnesota, which includes the three largest American Indian Reservations in the state (Red Lake, Leech Lake, and White Earth). More than 45% of the youth and families served each year are Native American. Evergreen?s focus is crisis intervention services and services to help promote family reunification, independent living skills and healthy lifestyles for youth, and safe housing for youth. All services are free to youth and families. Evergreen provides direct services to more than 1,500 children, teens, and families each year. Many more are reached through community outreach and educational presentations. Importantly, all of Evergreen's services are free. Beltrami County is a distressed rural community since both its unemployment and poverty rates significantly exceed both the state and national rates. Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development data show that Beltrami County's unemployment and poverty rates significantly exceed those for the State of Minnesota and the nation, while its median household income is significantly lower than both the state and the national median income.

Programs

Evergreen operates an emergency shelter for youth, a youth recovery house for teen males with addiction problems, scattered site housing for homeless teens, family counseling/parent education/parent coaching, independent living skills for youth, street outreach to homeless youth, services for GLBT youth, and a variety of other community services. Evergreen House staff also work on larger community issues such as affordable housing, homelessness, youth drug use, and gangs.