MN Transition Coalition Newsletter, January 6, 2016

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In This Issue...


girlstowomen16

Calling All Artists & Poets!

The Planning Committee for the Annual Statewide Conference on Justice Involved Women is inviting artistic creations or poetry to be included in the upcoming conference April 18th, 2016.

We are accepting poetry or artwork of all types from girls who’s lives have been touched by the criminal justice system. Submit no more than one work in each category (visual & written).

Submissions will be honored and displayed at the conference. The committee will select three submissions from each category (visual & written) to receive a $50 honorarium.

Please include your name, address, phone number (or staff at your facility we can contact as your representative) so that we may return your items and/or send the honorarium. Finalists for the honorarium will be selected based on the following criteria: relevance to the theme, intensity of the message, and originality.

PLEASE SUBMIT YOUR WORK TO YOUR CASEWORKER, PROBATION/PAROLE AGENT COUNSELOR, OR YOU CAN MAIL TO: CONFERENCE ON WOMEN OFFENDERS, P.O. BOX 14232, ST. PAUL, MN 55104

Deadline: March 8, 2016


Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation and Nystrom & Associates, Ltd. Present...

winter

Topics Include: Diagnosis and Treatment of Co-Occurring Disorders with Adolescents and 21st Century Recovery

Space is limited! Register today at: www.hazelden.org/mnoutreach

For more information or questions, contact: Jess Girard | Community Outreach Manager with Nystrom & Associates, Ltd. | 763-807-3233, JGirard@nystromcounseling.com


MFFN Logo

13th Annual MFFN Summit 2016!

Father Child Relationships in Diverse Family Systems

February 8-9, 2016

Kelly Inn, St. Cloud, MN

REGISTRATION OPEN!

Click here for conference flyer! OR Click here to register online!

Know of a deserving individual, program, policymaker or advocate who has been doing great work in the fatherhood field this year?  

Nominate them for a MFFN Award! 

Nomination Process: We are currently accepting nominations for "Excellence in Fatherhood Policy and Practice" awards. MFFN annually recognizes programs and individuals who are advancing fatherhood policy and practice throughout Minnesota. Submit a nomination for your favorite program, policymaker, or advocate. Please write a one to two paragraph description about why your nomination deserves the award. Individuals may submit one nomination for each category. Please don't nominate the same person/institution for more than (1) award.

Award Categories include: Outstanding Individual, Policymaker or Advocate of the year, Member of the year, Program, Coalition, or Agency of the year, or Other (Workplace of the year, Media of the year, Visionary of the year, etc.).

Submit your nominations by JANUARY 8, 2016 to td4mffn@gmail.com


nystrom bloomington open house

mentoring

A New Workshop from the Midwest Mentoring Collaborative:

Helping to Heal-  Mentoring to Overcome Mental Health and Chemical Dependency Challenges

Thursday, January 14, 2016

5:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Nystrom & Associates, Ltd. - New Brighton

1900 Silver Lake Road Northwest

New Brighton, MN 55112

Those reentering society after incarceration are often haunted by significant mental health and chemical dependency challenges.  As mentors, we are not called upon to be
therapists or psychiatrists, but we do want to help, and we often recognize that lasting success for our mentees isn't likely until they have good mental health and sobriety. So what can we do? In this workshop we'll hear from one of the more respected organizations in the region when it comes to working with ex-offenders struggling with these issues; Nystrom and Associates LTD. (NAL) 
Free admission - a light meal will be served
(donations requested to cover meal cost)

Please register for this FREE workshop at:

http://www.eventbrite.com

Call 612-877-4268 or email steve.nelson@voamn.org.


kJ"dzignas

Regional Board Training 

Tuesday, February 2, 2016 from 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM

Rochester Public Utilities: 4000 East River Road Northeast
Service Center Community Room
Rochester, MN 55906

Experienced board members, especially Board Chair and Executive Director pairs, are invited for an intentional conversation about board governance especially regarding the critical role of the Board Chair and Executive Director relationship in advancing critical issues in the organizations development. An interview with Hope Coalition’s Executive Director and Board Chair will help flesh out the healthy dynamics of this critical partnership. Some fundamentals of board governance will be presented as a refresher, as well as highlights from MAP’s Board Chair training. An hour of this session will be earmarked for you to draft a “Board Development Plan” for your own board that is often used by Board Chairs and Executive Directors for annual planning purposes. 

Participants will be required to email the following information to the event organizer by 1/22/16:

What board are you currently serving on? Enter in organization name

In what role? Board Member, Board Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, Executive Director, Staff

What governance challenge does your board currently face that you’d like to discuss during this training? {Limit responses to 200 words please}

This workshop includes development of an action plan for your board. Are you attending with someone that could help generate this?

Light Refreshments will be served at 11:30 a.m., and feel free to bring your lunch.

More Information and Registration Here!


mdhr logo

Martin Luther King Jr. Day Statewide Celebration!

The Governor’s Council on the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Statewide Celebration encourages you to save the date to attend the 2016 Celebration. This year’s event will be hosted on Monday, January 18, 2016 from 9:00 am to 1:00 p.m. at the Ordway Center for Performing Arts in Saint Paul. A formal invite will follow.

Please send any questions to mnmlkday@gmail.com or call 651-201-3400.


CSG Banner

Congress Funds Key Criminal Justice Programs

Congress approved a $1.15 trillion Omnibus Appropriations bill that would fund three key programs championed by The Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center: the Second Chance Act (SCA), the Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act (MIOTCRA), and the Justice Reinvestment Initiative. The spending bill includes the fiscal year 2016 Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS) Appropriations bill, which provides $28.7 billion to support U.S. Department of Justice programs.

Within the CJS bill, nearly $68 million is provided for SCA funding, $10 million for MIOTCRA (a $1.5 million increase from last year), and $27.5 million for the Justice Reinvestment Initiative (see chart below).

  Read More about the Bill 

chart

Study to assess contracted food support programs

 The Hennepin County board agreed to support a study of current contracted food support programs, to look for opportunities for increased efficiency, effectiveness and maximum accessibility. Currently, the county works with six providers that provide emergency food support; in all, 80 programs provide food support in the county. The Human Services Department will report back to the board with recommendations by July 1, 2016.

Learn more about the food support study.


Grant offers program oversight for people in long-term homelessness

The Hennepin County board agreed to accept a $5.7 million two-year grant from the Minnesota Department of Human Services to oversee supportive housing programs for people who have experienced long-term homelessness, and families who are at risk of long-term homelessness. Hennepin County has been designated as lead agency and fiscal agency for a multi-county collaboration. As part of the ongoing plan to end long-term homelessness, the county will work with St. Paul-based Hearth Connection to provide supports across county boundaries, training to service providers, client monitoring and tracking, data collection and reporting and connections for clients to permanent supportive housing.

Learn about the supportive housing proposal.


Plans move forward for joint youth residential treatment facility with Ramsey County

The County Board agreed to proceed with plans for a joint Hennepin-Ramsey County residential youth treatment center. Two existing residential treatment centers, at the Hennepin County Home School and Ramsey County’s Boys Totem Town, are in need of significant ongoing preservation and maintenance efforts. For the past 18 months, the counties have worked toward creating a joint facility replacement. The next phase will:

  • Complete facility pre-design with an architectural consultant
  • Finalize site requirements, develop site option descriptions and finalize site selection
  • Finalize capacity, scope and staffing needs
  • Complete project construction, project cost estimates and update project schedule
  • Draft cooperative agreement and develop projected operating budget
  • Arrange capital funding

The cost for a facility pre-design is expected to exceed $50,000, to be shared equally between Hennepin and Ramsey Counties. Once a consultant has been identified, further approval will be sought from the respective county boards. This phase is expected to be accomplished in 12 to 14 months, at which time staff will be ready to seek final Board approval to begin the construction process of the joint facility.

Learn more about the joint treatment facility.


St. Anne’s Place fights homelessness using parent educator CARE model!

St. Anne’s Place offers emergency shelter for women-led families experiencing homelessness. Families may have been living with relatives or friends, in a car, outside, or in an unsafe home.

St. Anne’s Place is the first emergency family shelter in Minnesota to adopt the research-based CARE (Child Adult Relationship Enhancement) model, developed to help families overcome the trauma of homelessness.

Staff is available 24 hours a day to support families who have been homeless to achieve housing and regain emotional, psychological and social well-being.

  • Women living at St. Anne’s Place are at least 18 years old (2/3 of women are under the age of 30).
  • Children are newborn – 17 years old (over 80 percent are 10 years old or younger).
  • Families are referred by the Hennepin Country Shelter Team.
  • The average stay is 6-8 weeks.

Rochelle’s story

A recent resident of St. Anne’s Place, Rochelle, arrived at the age of 19 with her two children, a three year old and a one year old. They had been homeless several times. Rochelle was familiar with the trauma of childhood homelessness; she had experienced her own childhood homelessness and abuse and now found herself experiencing this trauma as a mother with two kids.

At St. Anne’s Place, Rochelle and her kids were given their own room and access to scheduled meals, laundry facilities, a child enrichment room, and a health and wellness room. St. Anne’s Place program staff helped Rochelle enroll her children in the PICA Head Start program and connected her with a health care provider through MVNA to address the kids’ immediate health needs.

Using the Child Adult Relationship Enhancement framework known as CARE, St. Anne’s Place staff helped Rochelle work through her traumas using a strengths-based model that gave her tools to focus on health and wellness, addressing behavioral issues that arise from trauma. Because of the stability, education, and care received while at St. Anne’s Place, Rochelle was able to rebuild a sense of efficacy and personal control; her family is no longer homeless, she completed high school and is now working to become a certified nursing assistant. (Rochelle’s real name has not been disclosed to protect her privacy and safety.)


Open government initiatives

Hennepin County is working to be transparent and accountable. Learn more about performance measures, plain language, and other initiatives that encourage civic participation.

Visit open government

Find voter information online


For Veterans!


drop in legal clinics

Tuesday, January 12, 2016 | 9am - 2pm | VA Medical Center

Flag Atrium Balcony Room 2S 114 (ask information desk for directions)

1 Veterans Drive | Minneapolis, MN | FREE Parking at the VA Medical Center

For more information contact:

Vetlaw Program – MACV | 651-200-4750


Gold Star Family Community Engagement Initiative, Jan. 9

Gold Star Families and the community that supports them are invited to participate in a community initiative to honor and support the families of the fallen.

More Information >>


Telling Project

The Telling Project is looking for Minnesota Veterans and military family members interested in performing in a play setting. They're heading back to the Guthrie for the third time to continue expanding and deepening the conversation with civilians and military communities.

"Telling: Minnesota 2016" will perform April 29 - May 1, 2016 at the Dowling Studio.

Questions can be emailed to info@thetellingproject.org


vets

DAV - Thank a Vet

The DAV National Office has created a program where Veterans or their family members can upload pictures and create a video slideshow of the Veteran's service. This new program is appropriately titled "DAV Thank a Vet." Simply visit the website below and upload pictures from the Veteran's service.

Thank a Vet >>


Salute to Women Veterans, Jan. 8

Free and open to all women who have or are currently serving, join the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs for this year's Salute to Women Veterans.

More Information >>


Upcoming Minnesota Correctional Facility Transition Fairs!


Minnesota Correctional Facility- Lino Lakes Transition Fairs

Dates: January 26, 2016 and July 26, 2016

Background Check Information due by: January 8, 2016 for the January 26th Fair, and July 8, 2016 for the July 26th fair.

Time: 8:00 AM to 3:45 PM

A background check must be done of anyone being allowed into the Correctional Facility.  To do this background check, the full name, Date of Birth and Driver’s License number of each person planning on attending is needed; as well as the name of your organization as you would like it to appear on your table tag.

This information should be submitted to Joe McCoy via e-mail at Joseph.McCoy@state.mn.us or Sarah Gibbison at Sarah.Gibbison@state.mn.us by the dates listed above.

You must have your Driver’s License with you the day of the Transitions Fair to gain access to the facility.

For more information Click Here!


Grant Opportunities and Requests for Proposals!