Isaiah Baker, a summer fellow with the Office of Governor Walz, is working on a project to lift up the hard work that Minnesotans have done over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic by sharing positive stories with the public. He has been interviewing folks around Minnesota who have been impacted by or involved with the state COVID response to elevate the hard work that has happened to keep people safe. The outcome is to compile the stories to hopefully be published online. You all have done incredible work to support people experiencing homelessness in your communities and we want to provide the opportunity for you to share your stories with the broader public. Isaiah will join the weekly webinar tomorrow to hear from all you. Here are a few questions for your consideration ahead of the conversation tomorrow:
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How has your organization served communities and populations in need during the pandemic? Is there a particularly creative solution that you are proud of and want to share with others?
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Do you have a particular moment or story from the last few years that motivates you, inspires you, or reminds you of the impact your work has?
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What do you want people to know as we transition into a new phase of the pandemic—whether there is a fall surge or not?
Join the conversation and to hear from the August Speakers Bureau on weekly webinar tomorrow from 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. If you have any questions about your registration, please email Elizabeth Dressel.
Local Homeless Prevention Aid represents a critical new resource for responding to homelessness and housing instability for families with children and youth in Minnesota. This aid is distributed to counties to help local governments ensure no child is homeless within a local jurisdiction by keeping families from losing housing and helping those experiencing homelessness find housing.
The Minnesota Department of Revenue has posted the county allocations for the 2023 disbursement of funding. We have also received an important clarification about the timing for distribution of these funds. Counties may begin incurring costs for the 2023 funding on January 1, 2023, but the first disbursement of funds will occur in July 2023, not December 2022 as previously shared. We regret that we have communicated incorrect information previously.
We would appreciate your help circulating this information, especially among counties and their partners involved in considering how to use these funds.
Earlier this week Governor Tim Walz announced a ten-year economic expansion plan which offers long-term steps to continue improving Minnesota’s economy. Governor Walz launched the 15-member Council of business, labor and community leaders in September 2021 to help advise Minnesota on the systemic change needed in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors that will achieve a more equitable, inclusive, sustainable, and resilient Minnesota economy. The report, “Minnesota’s Moment: A Roadmap for Economic Expansion,” makes dozens of recommendations that fall within five core “commitments” the Council believes are essential to economic growth in Minnesota:
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Commit to our people, as Minnesota’s number one strength and the key to a prosperous future.
- Commit to our communities, as the nexus point of growth and opportunity.
- Commit to our businesses, as the engine that will write the next chapter of the global economy.
- Commit to innovation, as the central dynamic needed to adapt to an ever-changing economic landscape.
- Commit to infrastructure, as the foundation of all economic progress.
Central to the plan is the need for the Council to engage stakeholders and to grapple with an economic legacy of racism, exclusion, and disparities in Minnesota’s economy that are holding the state back. The roadmap the Council created includes a wide-ranging set of topics centered on a collective vision for prosperity. Read the roadmap for the full list of strategies including those around housing.
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) COVID-19 Highly Impacted Settings Unit wants to know how we can support your facility or setting to ensure that eligible residents have access to COVID-19 therapeutics, medicine for people who test positive for COVID-19. COVID-19 therapeutics are widely available in the state and are effective for preventing severe illness among people at high risk. CDC recommends congregate living facilities ensure access to therapeutics as an important part of their COVID-19 response. Please complete a brief survey to let us know about your setting or facility’s experience with COVID-19 therapeutics by the end of the day on Friday, August 5. It should take about 10-15 minutes to complete.
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Why is this survey important? COVID-19 therapeutics are effective and widely available in the state. MDH will use results of this survey to identify strategies to ensure that eligible people in congregate living facilities have access to these important medications. Your perspective is valuable and may help other settings and facilities with their COVID-19 response.
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Who should fill out the survey? People at your setting or facility who are involved in the COVID-19 response.
Feel free to share the link with people at your setting or facility involved in the COVID-19 response.Thank you for your continued partnership in protecting the health of community members who are experiencing incarceration or homelessness!
Please contact Tony Berg at Tony.Berg@state.mn.us with any questions or concerns about the survey.
During the July 20 webinar, the MDH presented updated recommendations on how to report COVID-19 cases to MDH and what reporting is necessary. Please review the table in the slide deck to see how to report cases. If you have any questions, please contact the MDH Highly Impacted Settings Team.
Cases among people experiencing homelessness and the staff who support continues to remain steady. The MDH team continues to monitor cases and our team continues to plan alongside local public health and emergency management on ways to be best prepared to support people experiencing homelessness through any future surges. If you are looking for any information or resources you can find information at https://mich.mn.gov/covid-19 or email Health.R-Congregate@state.mn.us.
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The Minnesota Shelter Emergency Staffing Pool continues to be available. This initiative provides temporary staff to congregate settings serving people experiencing homelessness or domestic violence to support settings that are experiencing acute COVID-19 related staffing challenges. This free resource is offered through a partnership between ServeMinnesota and Worldwide Travel Staffing. It does not require eligible settings to cover any of the costs of the temporary staff and there are staff ready to deploy. Both nonprofit and for-profit congregate settings serving people experiencing homelessness and domestic violence and are experiencing staffing impacts from an active COVID-19 outbreak are eligible to apply. You can fill out the application for emergency staffing support online. If you have questions about the application or process, please send an email to Naomi Zuk-Fisher, ServeMN consultant and Minnesota Shelter Emergency Staffing Pool lead.
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Help us spread the word about a new newsletter for engagement opportunities for people who have experienced or are currently facing homelessness. The Minnesota Interagency Council on Homelessness is building a new newsletter list to share opportunities for people who have faced or are currently facing homelessness to share their input, ideas, and expertise. Interested individuals can sign up for the newsletter by filling out this form. We will share a range of opportunities in this newsletter from state agencies and partner organizations and the newsletter will be sent out as opportunities are available. Please email elizabeth.dressel@state.mn.us if you have any questions.
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