This summer looks a lot different for the Brooks family than it did a year ago. Today, they have a place to call home.

Last summer, Duane and his sons, Mason and Brayden, were living in a shelter after a tumultuous month that left the family without housing and Duane without a job. But they were together, and that gave Duane hope that would get back on their feet.

Duane was determined to get the family back to their neighborhood and back to normalcy. And, with the help of the Stable Homes Stable Schools (SHSS) program, that was within reach.

“I am so, so grateful for Stable Homes Stable Schools,” said Duane.

After being referred through his youngest son’s school, Duane got connected with SHSS, which helped the family move from the shelter into a stable, affordable home in October. Through the program’s housing placement and support services, the family found a duplex in the neighborhood they had called home for years prior to losing their housing.

“We lived in this neighborhood for a long time,” said Duane Brooks, a Stable Homes Stable Schools participant. “[The kids] know the neighborhood and they have friends here. I wanted them to be back in the neighborhood they were comfortable in. I wanted to give that to my kids. I want to give them something better than what I had growing up, and Stable Homes Stable Schools is helping me do that.”

Knowing the family was coming from a shelter and lacked household essentials, SHSS staff took the family on a shopping trip to get them started with air mattresses, dishes, towels, and other household necessities. This level of attention and care continues with monthly home visits from a family support specialist—an important touch point for program continuity for SHSS families.

“I’m not worried at the end of the month anymore,” said Duane. “It is allowing me to focus on just being a better parent for my kids. Stable Homes Stable Schools has given me a little peace of mind. And that peace of mind goes a long way.”

Since their move and settling into their new home, Duane has had a front row seat to seeing the positive impacts SHSS has had on his kids. Mason has made huge strides in his reading abilities in the last school year. And the continuity of school staff and community for Brayden, who has autism, has been very helpful.

Duane has also turned his experience with homelessness into an opportunity to advocate and empower others. He is part of the SHSS Parent Advisory Council which allows participant families to share their experience and recommend improvements to the program. Through his involvement on the council and other advisory groups, he has gained knowledge, built meaningful relationships, and ignited a passion for using his lived experience to help others.

“I’ve tried to be an advocate for the homeless and unsheltered since,” said Duane. “I can help people because of what I’ve gone through. I can let them know that being homeless isn’t the end of the road. I just want people to know, men especially, it’s going to be okay.”

Stable Homes Stable Schools is a pioneering partnership between MPHA, the City of Minneapolis, Hennepin County, and Minneapolis Public Schools, along with the YMCA of the North as the service partner, working to reduce homelessness among families with elementary-aged kids in Minneapolis and improve immediate and long-term educational outcomes for students impacted by housing instability. The program is a holistic approach to addressing homelessness through prevention (emergency short- and medium-term assistance) and intervention (multi-year rental assistance and support services). Since 2019, more than 7,800* kids and 2,790* families have benefited from the program.

For many families, SHSS creates an opportunity for them to reset and get back on track to their goals. And for the Brooks family, it did just that.

*As of June 30, 2026