MN Transition Coalition News - January 11, 2021

Minnesota Department of Corrections sent this bulletin at 01/11/2021 07:44 AM CST

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Crisis Resource for Veterans

Are you a Veteran in crisis or concerned about one? Connect with the Veterans Crisis Line to reach caring, qualified responders with the Department of Veterans Affairs. Many of them are Veterans themselves.
You can reach the Veterans Crisis Line at 1-800-273-8255, press 1 for the Veterans Crisis Line, or text to 838255, or chat online 24/7/365

The National Alliance on Mental Illness - Minnesota is putting out Zoom meetings for mindfulness, stress support, and some counseling. Click HERE for more information.

New Grants for Mental Health First Aid Available

In December, the federal government appropriated $16.7+ million in funding for projects like Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) in FY2021. Take advantage of this opportunity – Mental Health Awareness Training (MHAT) grants are now available! MHAT grants will help expand MHFA to more schools, first responders, veterans and other communities, enabling more people to identify, understand and respond when someone is experiencing a mental health crisis. Join us for a webinar on Friday, January 8, from 3-4 p.m. ET, to learn more! Have MHFA grant questions? Contact us! To learn more about MHAT grants, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

Virtual Criminal Expungement Clinic

Expungement is the process of going to court to ask a judge to seal a court record. People request an expungement when they have been denied a job, housing, or a professional license because of a criminal incident that shows up on a background check. Attend a virtual informational session via Microsoft Teams to learn more about the expungement process and have general questions answered by attorneys. Registration is required. Expungement court forms will be provided to all registrants. The link to the live online discussion will be emailed to registrants in advance.

Thursday, Jan. 14, 2:30 – 3:30 p.m.
Thursday, Feb. 18, 2:30 – 3:30 p.m.

Virtual Eviction Expungement Clinic

Expungement is the process of going to court to ask a judge to seal a court record. People request expungement of an eviction record to make it easier to find housing in the future. Attend a virtual informational session via Microsoft Teams to learn more about the eviction expungement process and have general questions answered by attorneys. Registration is required. Expungement court forms will be provided to all registrants. Funded by the Friends of Hennepin County Library in collaboration with Central Minnesota Legal Services. The link to the live online discussion will be emailed to registrants in advance.

Thursday, Jan. 21, 2 - 3 pm
Thursday, Feb. 25, 2 - 3 pm

The clinics are free but registration is required. Patrons can register here: website. They will send out the invite to all registrants with directions to join in (Microsoft Teams or call in) before each clinic starts.

2021 Black-Centered Design Request for Proposals:

AALF is Seeking Black Community Engagement Project Proposals to Help Solve Our Community’s Most Complex Challenges

The African American Leadership Forum (AALF) is inviting individuals and organizations to submit innovative community engagement project proposals to solve some of the most pressing challenges in Minnesota’s Black community around Education, Health & Wellness, Family & Culture, and Economic Development by addressing our Black-Centered Design (BCD) problem statements.

If you or your organization’s project is chosen, AALF will provide workplan development support and other tools needed for implementation. Participants will receive help with project management execution, be connected to our network and expert community volunteers, in addition to receiving customized marketing and communications support. Selected projects will be shared with funders and elected officials.

Organizations and Individuals Are Welcome to Submit!

Submit your project idea via the application link HERE by February 2 (5:00 p.m. CST)

Upcoming Workshops for Small Businesses

The Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) is hosting several upcoming events for small businesses to learn more about government contracting and the resources available to them. These include:

January 5, 9:00am - 10:00am: Tri-State Webinar: Are You Up-To-Date, Changes in Government Contracting
January 5, 1:00pm - 2:30pm: Webinar: PTAC Orientation Class
January 12, 9:00am - 10:30am: Webinar: Exploring Federal Contracting: The Basics
January 19, 9:00am - 10:00am: Webinar: Federal Certifications for Government Contracting - 8(a) Focus
January 26, 9:00am - 10:30am: Webinar: Federal Contracting, A Deeper Dive

To register for these and other classes offered by PTAC, please click HERE

New Federal Law Will Provide More Housing Relief

Congress passed a COVID Relief package as part of the omnibus funding package on December 21 and it was signed into law on December 27, 2020.

The Relief package includes $25 billion in emergency rental assistance that will provide an estimated $375 million to Minnesota from the federal government. The new emergency rental assistance program has several key differences from the previous COVID-19 Housing Assistance Program that Minnesota Housing offered, which requires more time to evaluate. There are significant details and timing-related issues that need to be resolved, and we do not yet know when the funding will be available for renters to access. The high-level summary of the anticipated new program includes:

The State of Minnesota will receive at least 55% of the total funding, and cities and counties with populations above 200,000 can receive direct funding for up to 45% of the total. We are waiting for more information about how the distribution will work.
Subject to funding availability, the assistance is expected to be available for past-due and prospective rent for three months at a time, for up to 12 months. The assistance is for low-income renter households at or below 80% of area median income (AMI), with a priority for households below 50% AMI and households that have been unemployed 90+ days.
Eligible rental assistance expenses, which we expect will use at least 90% of the funding, will likely include rent, utilities, rent and utility arrears, and other direct rental housing related costs. The remaining 10% of the funding will likely be available for administrative costs and case management and other service costs, although much remains to be determined in this area.
This is a one-year program, with funds expected to be spent by September 30, 2021 and a spending deadline of December 31, 2021.

Click HERE to sign up to receive updates on the anticipated new emergency rental assistance program.

Stimulus, round 2: Incarcerated people will be eligible for new round of payments

At the end of an otherwise disappointing session of Congress, the inclusion of incarcerated people in the stimulus program is a small ray of hope.

In the wake of the recently passed stimulus bill, many Americans are complaining about the paltry direct payments of $600. Without detracting from Congress’s failure to support the millions of people who need help, it is worth pausing to acknowledge one unexpected victory in the bill: It contains no prohibition on stimulus payments for incarcerated people.¹

The previous stimulus bill, passed in March, took some people by surprise by not making incarcerated people ineligible for direct cash payments. The IRS made an ill-advised (not to mention unauthorized) attempt to exclude incarcerated people, but this policy was slapped down by the federal courts. As we wrote previously, because Congress did not exclude people in prison or jail, the IRS had no choice but to issue the payments to incarcerated people who otherwise qualified. Others who made this same argument ultimately prevailed in court and incarcerated people began to receive stimulus checks.

In July, when Congress first started to consider a subsequent round of stimulus, the Senate Finance Committee proposed legislative language that would exclude incarcerated people from receiving funds (both going forward and retroactively). The fact that no such language appears in the bill passed in December suggests that this issue was probably the subject of actual negotiation.

It’s a good thing that Congress stuck to the policy of including incarcerated people in the pool of eligible recipients. Even before the pandemic, day-to-day life in prison and jail was getting expensive, with commissary charges for basic food and hygiene items, and increasingly common pay-to-play e-book and music programs. But the COVID-19 crisis has brought communications costs (phone, video, and electronic messaging) into sharp contrast. In the many facilities that have suspended in-person visits, phone and video are now essential services (which come with a price tag). When incarcerated people lack the money needed to pay for basic health and communications items, the financial burden typically falls on their loved ones on the outside who may have to sacrifice basic needs to support family members in prison.

The second round of stimulus payments will help people pay for basic necessities in prison or jail, and perhaps begin saving to cover expenses upon release from custody. At the end of an otherwise disappointing session of Congress, the inclusion of incarcerated people in the stimulus program is a small ray of hope.

January 11 COVID-19 Community Partners Call:

Health Equity and the COVID-19 Response

Date: Monday, Jan. 11, 2021

Time: 9 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.

You must register prior to joining this WebEx.

After you register, you'll receive an email with instructions for joining the meeting online or by phone.

If you have questions you would like to send ahead of the call, please email them by noon on Thursday, Jan. 7 to: madison.olmsted@state.mn.us

We will send out a copy of the slides to all who register.

To request accessibility accommodations for this meeting, please reach out by 4pm on Tuesday, Jan. 5: madison.olmsted@state.mn.us

Agenda

COVID-19 update – an overview of the current situation in Minnesota
Maintaining health and wellbeing – tips for staying mentally and physically healthy during the winter months and the pandemic
Health equity – an overview and discussion of how MDH is addressing health equity in the response to COVID-19
Question & response with MDH staff and leadership

Presenters

Commissioner Jan Malcolm
MDH staff (TBD)

Success in Housing: How much does criminal background matter?

A collaborative research project from four of Minnesota’s leading housing nonprofits, conducted by Wilder Research.

Housing stability and incarceration
The cycle of housing instability and incarceration is well-documented and well-known. Systemic barriers and the challenges of homelessness increase the risk of re-offending.
As a Collaborative, we questioned how we could disrupt this cycle and make our housing more inclusive. By joining forces (and data), we conducted a first-of-its-kind study with Wilder Research to learn more about the relationship between criminal history and success in housing.

To view full study, visit https://bit.ly/research-collaborative-results

* Click Here for Statewide Resource List as updated due to COVID-19 *

* Click Here for Transitions Fairs Updates *

* Click Here for Transition Coalition Meeting Updates *

Brainerd/Baxter Transition Coalition website - https://centralmntc.wordpress.com/

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