Downtown Duluth Seek Help From Community + Businesses To Keep Outreach Specialist

There's a person who walks about 8 miles a day throughout downtown Duluth, talking with unhoused persons, working with business owners, and making a huge impact in the community. His name is Nathan Kesti. He's the Outreach Specialist for Downtown Duluth.

Nathan's job is simple, yet complicated. He works with unsheltered individuals who are facing challenges in their lives. Some are suffering from chemical dependency, mental health problems, and other troubling circumstances. Downtown Duluth says he's a great resource for getting individuals into housing or treatment.

Since Nathan started his position in November of 2022, he's helped get 45 people into stable housing and 47 people into treatment. Kristi Stokes, President of Downtown Duluth says Nathan has a special gift for what he does.

Nathan just has a way to communicate with the individuals. He's vital to the work we are doing in Downtown Duluth. He's even keeps track of people's medication and calls them to make sure they are taking it. He'll walk people to lunch. He helps people get to where they need to be. The compassionate things he does go way above and beyond.

Many downtown areas across the United States faced issues starting during the pandemic and the following years. Duluth is one of those cities that has worked hard to bring the heart of the community back to a vibrant area. The pilot program was started with ARPA funds from the government. That was a one time grant for the three year pilot program. The program has been a success, but funding has dried up.

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Downtown Duluth has been working hard to get grant money to fund the Outreach Position and keep Nathan helping people on the streets. They haven't had luck so far, but they aren't giving up. Their hope is that community and business members will donate to help cover roughly half of the cost of the position.

You can make a donation directly online. As of today, they have reached 1,805 of the $25,000 goal.

They are holding the 2024 September Slam Golf Outing at Ridgeview Country Club. Proceeds from the event will go to support the outreach programs. They still have openings for tee box sponsorships. You can find more about that on the Downtown Duluth event page.

Nathan also is a great resource for business owners. For example, if a business owner in downtown has a person having a crisis at their storefront, Nathan often is the first point of contact. He's earned the respect of business owners. His position is uniquely balanced between helping the unhoused in downtown, while also helping business owners.

Over the course of his employment, Nathan has had 4,690 self-initiated business contacts. He's also had 23,288 self-initiated contacts with unhoused individuals.