A new study from the University of Minnesota finds that at least 5,000 Minnesota youth have traded sex for food, money, alcohol, drugs, a place to stay or anything else of value.

The data comes after the 2019 Minnesota Student Survey included the question for the first time.

The state conducts the voluntary survey of ninth and 11th graders in Minnesota every three years.

Thief River Falls Resident Bob Loken provides care for his partner, Gail Hjelle, who was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s disease nearly five years ago. He assists her with daily tasks including getting ready in the morning, remembering medications and sitting down for meals.

After the REACH helped Kaytlin Williamson, 21, and her baby find a home, she continues to be a frequent visitor to its Youth Drop-In Center operated by Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota.

“This is like my second home now,” she said.

Cherish All Children, a service of Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota, will host a community event designed to equip community members to support youth in making safe and healthy choices in relationships, to prevent potentially exploitative situations.

Some people have good-luck charms or keepsakes that mean a lot to them. For Anoka teenager Sam Hanks, it’s a bracelet he always wears — a token from a summer camp for kids who’ve sustained burn injuries.

After attending the camp for three years, 15-year-old Hanks is about to age out of Camp RED, but he’s sending other kids there thanks to $5,000 from a fundraising event he organized in November.

While the rate of teenage pregnancy is declining in Minnesota, the 2019 Minnesota Adolescent Sexual Health Report by the University of Minnesota shows higher rates of sexually transmitted infections in the state.

A grant from the Luverne Community Foundation is helping to boost nutrition and successful recovery for older adults after a hospital stay. Through Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota’s (LSS) Prescription Meals service they receive healthy meals delivered right to their door.

Danny Demery has a biological mother, an adoptive mother and a foster mother, Danielle Anderson. Anderson is the only one Demery calls “mom.”

Demery, 22, has been in and out of Anderson’s north Moorhead home since he was a baby. Though he’s “termed out” of the foster system, he remains there under an agreement Anderson has with his parents.

“It’s the only home that I've ever had ... considering that a home is loving and caring,” he said.

The Results Innovation Lab from Lutheran Services in America (LSA) is equipping leaders to improve health, safety, stability and education for 20,000 at-risk youth by 2024. The lab employs a group-learning model in which participants develop new approaches for achieving results and engaging partners in their work.

“Through intense, interactive trainings with outside experts, Results Innovation Lab is providing participants with the skills to foster stakeholder relationships and create strategic partnerships,” said Charlotte Haberaecker, president and CEO of LSA.

Property owners take on many roles in their work with tenants – from collecting rent and leasing units to managing repairs and troubleshooting tenant issues.  Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota, an organization that partners with property owners to provide housing for families who have experienced homelessness, will offer a free workshop on addressing tenant issues with help from two attorneys on Wednesday, January 8 from 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. at the Center for Changing Lives, 2400 Park Avenue in Minneapolis.