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Who
We Are

A beige building facade with the words "PEOPLE SERVING PEOPLE" and the number 614 above the entrance.

We are People Serving People

People Serving People supports families experiencing housing instability and advocates for systems change to create a community where no family has to experience homelessness.

Support Families
A woman and three young children in white shirts sit smiling together by a brick wall.

Until no family experiences homelessness

People Serving People exists because our community continues to fail our families. Our work isn’t just about housing families experiencing homelessness—it’s about seeing and valuing the humanity of our neighbors. That’s why People Serving People is the largest and most comprehensive emergency shelter system for families in Minnesota, and a dedicated leader in homelessness prevention and early learning. Every family deserves the tools, support, and opportunities to thrive and never face homelessness.

What We Do

Our mission, vision, and values

At People Serving People, we do not only value the voices of our families, but we also proactively work to center their voices in our work. This collaboration guides how we operate, the work we do to continuously improve our programs and services, as well as our advocacy and systems change initiative.

Our mission

To support families who are experiencing housing instability by providing shelter, early childhood education, housing stabilization, and systems change.

Our vision

Every family has what they need.

Our values

  • Belonging
  • Equity
  • Integrity
  • Possibility
  • Power
Two people with dreadlocks smiling, one wearing a cow-print hoodie, the other a graphic t-shirt, standing by a brick wall.

Our current initiatives

Today’s People Serving People is rooted in a 44-year history of responding to the needs of our community, listening to our neighbors, and continuously evolving to meet an ever growing need for our services and advocacy.

Learn more about who we are and the initiatives we recently implemented and are currently underway to expand and enrich our support for families through investments in people, programs, and places, as well as our history.

Our Initiatives

Our leadership


Our leadership teams, program experts, and advancement staff work closely with our board of directors, community partners, volunteers, and generous donors to support our vision of a community where every family has what they need.

Our Leadership
People Serving People logo with tagline "Until every family has what they need."

About our brand

A logo centered in family voice

At the heart of our logo is a home. The home is the foundation of stability, dignity, and possibility. Surrounding it is a vibrant cityscape of overlapping shapes, each representing the interconnected services we provide: shelter, education, stabilization, and systems change.

The overlapping forms symbolize connection and community. The diversity of colors and shapes reflects the richness of the families we serve and the multifaceted approach we take to ending family homelessness.

This is more than a logo. It’s a symbol of belonging, equity, and hope. It’s a reminder that change is possible when people serve people.

Work with us

When you work with People Serving People, you become part of an extraordinary group of people who are working to make a difference in the lives of families experiencing housing instability. Join us and become a changemaker today. 

Careers

Featured news stories

Homeless shelters are under constant strain amid an escalating affordable housing crisis
June 15, 2026

Homeless shelters are under constant strain amid an escalating affordable housing crisis

Hear from CEO Hoang Murphy about the increasing need for shelter and services for families experiencing homelessness due to the affordable housing crisis and shifting costs to state and local governments.
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Our 2026 MN Legislative Update
May 20, 2026

Our 2026 MN Legislative Update

People Serving People's update on the two bills it had before the Minnesota Legislature for the 2026 Legislative Session.
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Murphy testifies in support of eviction extension in Minneapolis
April 23, 2026

Murphy testifies in support of eviction extension in Minneapolis

People Serving People's CEO, Hoang Murphy, testified before the Minneapolis City Council in support of a temporary change to the pre-eviction filing notice (from 30 to 45 days) to give renters more time to pay their rent. 
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Lessons from the attack on St. Anne’s Place: It’s time to build community
October 18, 2024

Lessons from the attack on St. Anne’s Place: It’s time to build community

The tragic attack on St. Anne’s Place should not be reduced to an argument about policing. Instead, we need to resolve to do the hard work of community building that will prevent anything like it from happening again.
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Minneapolis Should Have a Stake in Family Shelter
November 10, 2025

Minneapolis Should Have a Stake in Family Shelter

Read the November 7, 2025, letter to the editor submitted by Hoang Murphy to the Minneapolis Star Tribune about the City of Minneapolis funding shelter for families experiencing homelessness.
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How a group is helping people experiencing homelessness have their voices heard
October 30, 2025

How a group is helping people experiencing homelessness have their voices heard

WCCO's Reg Chapman shows us how People Serving People is making to ensure that people without a home address have a chance to vote.
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