In Saint Paul’s Summit Hill neighborhood, the Ain Dah Yung Center—meaning “our home” in the Ojibwe language—offers free, permanent housing and culturally based services to Native American youth facing homelessness and mental‑health challenges. The center’s suicide‑prevention coordinator, Bryce Premo, a member of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, says the combination of stable housing, community activities, and traditional practices such as talking circles and smudging is key to healing.
Local impact and outcomes
According to the Minnesota Department of Health, Native people represent only 2% of the state’s population but account for roughly 30% of its homeless population. National data from the National Alliance on Mental Illness show Native youth die by suicide at rates far higher than any other ethnic group. In 2024, all 43 young people who stayed at the center’s emergency shelter remained enrolled in school, a notable success in a community where housing insecurity often leads to school dropout.
Programs and services
The center houses more than 40 residents at any time and serves about 3,000 youth annually through emergency housing, after‑school programs, cultural events, a traditional healing garden, a free food pantry, a kitchen for community cooking, and a clothing store. Murals and community rooms on each floor provide spaces for gatherings, powwows, ceremonies, art, and music.
Premo emphasizes that suicide prevention is not merely a crisis response but a continuous effort to build relationships, positive identity, and empowerment. “When we’re out there building community relationships, that’s what suicide prevention is all about,” he said.
Community voices
Tascha Just, president of the Minnesota School Psychologists Association and a member of the Native community, echoes the importance of cultural connection, noting the release of oxytocin—a hormone linked to joy and love—when people gather in supportive settings. Research published in *Behaviour Research and Therapy* supports the effectiveness of culturally responsive care for mental‑health outcomes in Indigenous communities.
Shinaana Secody, an actor and intern with the Indigenous Peoples Task Force, credits the Native theater community with helping her overcome shyness and maintain daily mental‑health practices rooted in tradition.
Looking ahead
Premo remains hopeful, stressing that focusing on protective cultural factors can sustain community strength despite historical trauma. “We have a lot of strengths in the American Indian community, and when we build upon them it really shows,” he said, adding, “Miigwech for coming.”
The story was produced by Minnesota teens through ThreeSixty Journalism’s 2026 Multimedia Storytelling Institute, with funding from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota.
Original reporting: Sahan Journal — read the source article.
