The Impact of the Center for Changing Lives Duluth
The Center for Changing Lives Duluth serves young people 
from all walks of life. What they all have in common is that they need a place to call home.
Youth experiencing homelessness may come from a wide range of situations, including:
- A background of low income/poverty.
- A background of abuse, including sexual abuse.
- Parents with a history of chemical abuse or dependency.
The Impact
The Center for Changing Lives will:
- Increase the number of youth-focused housing units in Duluth by more than 300 percent.
- Serve as a hub for all LSS services for youth who are at-risk or experiencing homelessness and allow staff to work holistically with each young person, coordinate care, streamline work processes and share information, resources and ideas.
- Help bring youth issues out of invisibility and shift our perception of at-risk and homeless young people.
- Have a significant impact on the Duluth community. According to research conducted by the Amherst H. Wilder Foundation in 2012, young people experience an $11,543 increase in annual wages in their first year after leaving homelessness. A high school graduate’s lifetime earnings are $476,000 higher than a dropout’s. Society receives a return of more than 4:1 for every dollar invested in supportive services for youth experiencing homelessness.