Night of Hope: Steven Foldes

Steven Foldes's “Night of Hope: Executive Sleep Out” Campaign

YouthLink

For 40 years, YouthLink has provided a safe and supportive refuge and resources for young people experiencing homelessness. Last year, more than 2,200 young people accessed YouthLink. YouthLink is also home of the Youth Opportunity Center (YOC) and located in downtown Minneapolis. At the YOC, YouthLink and over 30 community partner agencies come together to provide a holistic array of services to help young people become educated, employable, and stably housed.

Night of Hope: Executive Sleep Out

On any given night, homeless youth could fill over half the hotel rooms in downtown Minneapolis. To help change that, we’re hosting our first ever Executive Sleep Out.

To learn more about YouthLink’s work, log on to www.youthlinkmn.org

About Steven

Steven Foldes began Foldes Consulting LLC in 2011 as the capstone to an accomplished career conducting and leading public health and health services research in both public and private settings. Dr. Foldes is widely recognized for his peer-reviewed research on the economics of dementia, tobacco control, predictive modeling for disease management, and health promotion in Minnesota’s Southeast Asian and Latino communities. He holds an appointment as Adjunct Associate Professor in the Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, University of Minnesota School of Public Health.

Foldes Consulting helps health care organizations to understand their populations, intervene effectively and demonstrate their results. To learn more, follow the link http://FoldesConsulting.com.

Before starting Foldes Consulting, Dr. Foldes was the Vice President for Analytics and Reporting for Univita Health, Inc.  Previously, he served as the Director of Research and Evaluation for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, where he was a member of the leadership team of the Center for Prevention.  Earlier in his career, Dr. Foldes directed research and evaluation for the Minnesota Department of Human Services, MedCenters Health Plan and the Foundation for Health Care Evaluation.

Dr. Foldes received his doctorate in social and cultural anthropology from the University of Chicago, after completing his undergraduate education at the University of Southern California.  He received a NIMH National Research Service Award for post-doctoral study in applied anthropology and public policy at Northwestern University.  As a Bush Foundation Leadership Fellow he did post-doctoral work in public health at Harvard University, health services research at the University of Minnesota, and completed the Executive MBA program at the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management. 

Dr. Foldes has served on several boards of directors.  He was a board member of MEDICA health plan.  In addition to his current work with YouthLink, he was a founding board member and long-time board chair of Jewish Community Action, where he is now the Treasurer.  Previously he served on the boards of the Talmud Torah of St. Paul and two Conservative Jewish congregations.  He is married to Riv-Ellen Prell and they are the parents of two lovely daughters.

Why Steven is sleeping out?

"I'm sleeping out to support YouthLink because this organization knows how to help young people in serious trouble to turn their lives around. They are there--on the ground, every day--to make a real difference for thousands of youth.  This is critical, because this is the point in people's lives when meaningful assistance can make a huge difference, when change is still possible and a lifetime of pain and its attendant costs to society can still be prevented."