MN Homess Shelter Visit

Continuing his fact finding mission on behalf of the JBJ Soul Foundation, Jon paid a surprise visit to a downtown Minneapolis shelter yesterday. There's an adorable picture of him signing a small child's sleeve. Too cute. Gotta wonder if the 3-year old really knew who he was.

The mission was to glean ideas to combat homelessness elsewhere, but rock star Jon Bon Jovi walked away with something more after his surprise visit Thursday to a downtown Minneapolis shelter.

In his jeans pocket was a rock painted like an alligator head -- a gift from a 4-year-old girl whose mother also shared the family's story about a recent job loss and eviction with the New Jersey rocker.

The visit with Bon Jovi occurred away from the cameras at People Serving People, 614 S. 3rd St. But speaking with reporters afterward, he referred to Larissa Thelmon, 28, a personal care assistant laid off just before Christmas, as an example of how "the face of the homeless has changed."

Of the shelter, he said, the scope of services "blows my mind" and offers a model "that can and should be duplicated."

You can read the rest of this article at StarTribune.com

In this article Jon is reported as saying he was going to take what he learned about how People Serving People integrates social services, housing, and education in one building, and try to spread the word around the country.

~ Hath