St. Paul Youth Homeless Shelter Celebrates Grand Opening

ST. PAUL, Minn. (WCCO) -- There's a new place in St. Paul that will provide housing to homeless youth.

Prior Crossing held its grand opening Sunday afternoon on University Avenue. It's a housing site that will provide studio apartments to 44 people, ages 16 to 22.

"This is the largest supportive housing for youth in all of east metro and young people have literally been sleeping out on park benches, or in other people's floors, really with no hope for where their future is. And so not only do they get safe place to live, but now they have a chance for jobs, an education and to really move forward in life," Lee Blons with the Beacon Interfaith Housing Collaborative said.

A study from last year showed that unaccompanied youth under the age of 25 make up 16 percent of the state's homeless population.