A Day in the Life

A Day in the Life is an educational walking tour led by community educators who have experienced homelessness.

"I learned from A Day in the Life that it’s hard to “pick yourself up” and out of homelessness when most of your day is spent on acquiring food and shelter. How would I have had time to find a job and permanent housing?" - Amanda

"My A Day in the Life experience was eye-opening, frustrating, exhausting, amazing, and thought-provoking, all at the same time." - Colleen

Components of the day include:

A Walking Education: Led by trained educators who have experienced homelessness, participants walk to shelters, drop-in centers, and other services to learn about them.
Learning from the Experts: Participants engage in candid conversations with individuals who have experienced homelessness to gain an understanding of their challenges, successes, and perspectives. Service providers and case managers are normally the gatekeepers of information about accessing resources; in A Day in the Life we flip the narrative and rely on the individuals who have accessed and utilized services to share their expertise.
Reflection: Opportunities for discussing the day's events provide a chance for a deeper understanding of issues of homelessness and why and how they occur.
Action Opportunities: Participants are given an overview of ways in which they may become more engaged in working to end homelessness

A Day in the Life is unique because participants not only learn about the services and systems in our community, they also connect real names and faces and stories to the word ‘homeless,' which makes the concept more perceptible and less abstract. Many biases are broken down, and compassion develops, when we realize that homeless can happen to anyone. We have created a platform for individuals who have experienced homeless to share their personal stories, knowledge, and perspectives about homelessness and the services available in our community.

A Day in the Life is available as a full- or half-day experience for groups of 8-16 people. The full-day tour (9AM-5PM) is $75 per person. The half-day tour (9AM-1PM) is $40 per person. Experiences are scheduled Monday through Thursday. For more information on what to expect from A Day in the Life, click here.

To organize an A Day in the Life experience for your group, start by filling out the form below. If you have any additional questions, please contact Tess Ajax at tajax@ststephensMPLS.org or 612-481-9501.

Tour participants may encounter viewpoints or situations that are challenging or uncomfortable. Not all views will reflect the philosophy or practices of St. Stephen's Human Services, but are nonetheless an important part of the A Day in the Life experience.

Registration: A Day in the Life

Organization/School/Business

Class/Program Name

Preferred Tour Date(s)

Full-day (9am-5pm) or half-day (9am-1pm)*

Number of Participants**

Does your group have a vehicle available? If yes, how many?***

Organizer Contact Information

Organizer Name

Organizer Email

Organizer Phone Number

Day-Of/Emergency Contact Information

Same as Organizer Contact

Name

Phone Number

Please tell us about yourself or your group. Include your reason for attending, participant ages, education level (if school-based group), occupations, etc.

What background information do you or your group have related to the topic of homelessness (housing, economy, policy, etc.)?

Do any group members need special accommodations or have physical limitations (inability to use stairs, cannot walk over 3 miles, difficulty hearing)?

Any additional comments or requests?

*Full-day tours are strongly encouraged. Half-day tours do not include de-briefing session at the end of the day; independent debriefing materials are available upon request.

**The number of tour participants can be updated until two weeks prior to the tour. If the number is not updated, we will invoice for the number of participants indicated on the registration form. If additional participants attend the tour beyond the number indicated on the registration form, we will bill for the additional participants ($75 per person for full day, $40 per person for half day).

***On occasion, some groups may drive to sites throughout Hennepin County if group members have a vehicle.

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