Using Housing Benefits 101 and Vault Tools to Help with Housing Planning, Advocacy, and Case Management
What: The Housing Best Practices Forum is an opportunity to expand the use of best practices in helping people with disabilities move to the housing they choose.
Making informed decisions about housing can be a complicated process that includes exploring needs and wants, income and expenses, and available options. Minnesota's interactive, secure, and free online resource, Housing Benefits 101 (HB101), was designed with tools to assist you in providing the best help to people you served as they navigate housing. This forum will provide an overview of HB101 including its information resources, individualized planning tools, and connections to expert help. Specific examples will highlight how tools can be used to help people with informed choice.
Who: Heidi Sandberg, Human Services Program Consultant, DHS Housing and Support Services Division
Rajean Moone, PhD, LNHA, FGSA, Moone Consulting, Inc.
When: Monday, March 15th, 2021 1:30 – 3:30 p.m.
Where: Webinar via WebEx, Registration required
Who should attend: Social services staff from counties and tribes, case managers, providers serving people with disabilities, providers serving people experiencing homelessness, and anyone interested in housing issues.
An archived copy of the presentation will be available by going to Housing Benefits 101 Link and clicking on the Partners Tab.
To request an ASL interpreter or CART for this presentation, please email laura.fox@state.mn.us by 2/22/2021.
Free Virtual Tax Prep Service
IRS-Certified Volunteers help you get your FULL REFUND
Community Action’s VIRTUAL Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) prepares tax returns at NO COST for
- individuals who make $35,000 or less
- families who make $55,000 or less
Click Here for More Information
“Practicing Mental Health Care at the Nexus of Social Identity and Culture"
Presented by Omkar Sawardekar, MSW, LICSW
March 4, 2021, 9am to 12pm
How do we practice mental health care while engaging the complexity of our client’s social identities? How do we work effectively across identities while skillfully navigating the complexity of our systems? What is the role of shame in trauma and healing? How do we effectively engage anger, rage, and grief in our clients? What cultural values are at play within ourselves and our clients and how do we attune to and engage these values to create healing relationships. How do we do all of this sustainably?
In this course, we will be exploring the implications of social identity (race, class, gender, gender identity, sexuality, age, etc.) on mental health. Additionally, we will explore the critical need to identify and attune to cultural values present within our clients, our systems, and ourselves. We will examine the use of integrating approaches from fields such as psychology, sociology, and anthropology as a clinical practice/tool that honors the impact of one’s identities and culture on their mental health and trauma. This session will introduce participants to specific tools and frameworks through which they can evaluate their own practice and their client relationships, so as to ultimately serve our clients and communities most capably.
More Information and Registration Here
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Racism and the Economy Series - Housing
We want to extend an invitation to you to join us on Monday, March 1, 2021, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. ET, for “Racism and the Economy: Focus on Housing,” the fourth installment of our virtual event series examining the impact of structural racism on our economy and advancing ideas to improve economic outcomes for all Americans.
This event will focus on systemic racism in our housing markets and its impact on economic outcomes for all Americans. Our keynote speakers will outline the historical and contemporary context of how racism, racial exclusion, and predatory inclusion have limited housing opportunities and wealth-building for communities of color. Leaders from the public, nonprofit, and academic sectors will then present policy proposals for dismantling the deep inequities in housing market valuation, mortgage lending, and patterns of housing development. These proposals will kick-start a wide-ranging conversation among researchers, policymakers, and community leaders who are committed to eliminating racial disparities in housing opportunity.
Click Here for More Information and to Register
FREE online training for Professional Career Development
Twin Cities Rise is offering 8 weeks of FREE online training for Professional Career Development, with a $500 incentive for full participation in program. We have 2 upcoming sessions in March 2021. Attached are detailed flyers you can send out to any interested community member. We provide training on specifically tailored 21st century skills and assist with support/ resources on professional and personal barriers to employment. Participants will receive the opportunity to interview with employer partners who are hiring directly for full-time positions. Our amazing team will professionally write/ proofread resumes and fully prepare participants for interviews. Interested candidates can CLICK HERE TO APPLY!
If anyone is seeking full-time employment in any of the following career fields:
- Human Services, Public Service, Administration, Office Operations, Starting their own business, General Customer Service, Transportation/ CDL, Driver, Non-Profit, Manufacturing/ Production, Information Technology, Healthcare Worker, Hospitality, or Food Service, (whether they have experience or not) Refer to our Career Development Training Program which will be starting on March 1st, 2021. Deadline for admission is February 24th, 2021.
- Building Operations & Management or Facilities Maintenance, Refer to our Facilities Maintenance Training Program which will be starting on March 15th, 2021. Deadline for admission is March 10th, 2021.
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OCTAE’s Integrated Education and Training in Corrections Project Launches
Virtual Learning Series
To continue to support the expansion of integrated education and training (IET) programs, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education is funding a new initiative, IET in Corrections, that will offer a variety of technical assistance activities to help state staff and local providers develop and implement IET programs in correctional facilities. The project will begin with a virtual learning series for interested correctional education stakeholders. Register now for the orientation webinar on Feb. 22 from 4–5 p.m. ET. Four additional webinars will occur in March 2021.
Following the virtual learning series, state correctional education directors and adult education directors will be invited to apply to participate in a pilot, which will provide intensive technical assistance to approximately three states and one to two of their local prison- or jail-based correctional education programs. The application will be available this spring, and participation will be for approximately one year (spring 2021 to spring 2022). Lessons learned and best practices from the pilot will be shared via an IET in Corrections manual, to be released in late 2022.
In Focus Locked Out: Exploring the Path from Incarceration to Inclusion (webinar)
Feb 24, 2021 12:00 PM in Central Time
Minnesota’s recidivism rate has improved over the years, with fewer people being sent back to prison within three years of being released. But what happens when they try to secure a job or find housing?
Join MPR News and partner Tech Dump for our latest In Focus event, a conversation hosted by Angela Davis about the challenges faced by Minnesota’s formerly incarcerated residents upon re-entry into the community and how we can become a more welcoming state.
Twin Cities-based Tech Dump is one of the largest collectors and recyclers of electronic waste in Minnesota. The nonprofit operates as a social enterprise that provides jobs and training for adults facing barriers to employment.
MPR News’ In Focus is a series of convenings we are committed to leading on Minnesota’s persistent racial disparities. Through conversations with community leaders that are shaped by our curious, engaged audience, MPR hopes to encourage new connections and relationships that will help Minnesota communities make progress toward equity and inclusion.
Please click HERE to join
Employment Training and Education from Goodwill-Easter Seals Minnesota
Automotive Technician Training
Construction Training
Youthbuild (GED or HS Diploma while getting training)
Work at MDVA
The needs of Minnesota Veterans do not diminish during this time, and MDVA needs staff to serve and care for our Veterans. We have a significant need for Certified Nursing Assistants and Resident Assistants in our Veterans Homes.
Working for the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs is a rewarding career with great State of Minnesota Benefits. If you know anyone seeking a fulfilling career supporting Minnesota Veterans and their families, please encourage them to explore opportunities with MDVA.
Interested in working at MDVA? You can sign-up here to receive employment information directly from our Human Resources department.
A full listing of positions can be found at the Minnesota Careers website. Some of our current job openings include:
Fergus Falls
Luverne
Minneapolis
Silver Bay
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RS Eden is Hiring
Case Manager (Housing) - We are searching for a full-time Case Manager who will be the ongoing support of clients within a permanent supportive recovery housing environment. The Case Manager engages clients at the housing site and in the outside community to orient to the expectations of supportive housing, develop an ongoing Individual Support Plan, and to assist with linkage to needed community resources.
Case Manager (Reentry) - Case Managers are responsible for working with justice involved persons through case management, assessments, goal planning and assistance services for approximately half of the clients in a residential reentry community correctional facility, along with clients in the nonresidential reentry community corrections program. Corrections, probation, DOC, Federal pre-trial
Support Specialist/Reentry Technician (West) - We are searching for a full-time Support Specialist/Reentry Technician to work in our residential reentry facilities which provides structured living environments, 24 hour client surveillance, alcohol and drug screening, case management, assessments, individual goal planning, employment assistance, education groups/classes, and referrals to community services.
Housing Stabilization Case Manager - We are searching for a full-time Housing Stabilization Case Manager to work at our Housing Stabilization Services (HSS) which is a Medicaid fee-for-service assistance to individuals living with a disability and experiencing housing instability. This assistance supports transitions from homelessness and institutional settings to permanent housing and provides ongoing support to sustain housing. The primary role of the Housing Stabilization Case Manager is the ongoing support of permanent supportive housing clients who are qualified for Housing Stabilization Services and would benefit from additional short- or long-term services to achieve and maintain housing stability.
Many more positions, click here to get more information and apply
U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services Office, District of Minnesota is Hiring a Community Resource Specialist
Department: Community Intervention
Closing Date: Open until filled. Preference will be given to resumes received by Friday, February 26, 2021, at 5:00 p.m. Central Standard Time.
Vacancies: Full-Time (One)
Location: Saint Paul, Minneapolis, Fergus Falls, Duluth, or Bemidji, MN
This position will be located in one of the District of Minnesota U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services Offices. The Community Resource Specialist assists the Community Intervention Administrator and officers in identifying resources for offenders/defendants in the areas of employment, General Educational Development (GED) certification, vocational training, and similar services.
Click Here for More Information and to Apply
Tree Trust Young Adult Conservation Corps
Tree Trust Young Adult Conservation Corps (YACC) is a job training program that offers a hands-on work experience in environmental improvement projects, maintaining green spaces, property maintenance, and landscape construction work. Participants also receive support through individualized case management, Employment Readiness Training, and follow-up services after they complete the YACC program. Participants join to earn money while discovering a defined career path that’s unique to them. If you are 18-24 years old, enjoy working with your hands, and love being outdoors, join us!
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HousingLink is Hiring - Executive Assistant to the President
Position Overview: This is a full-time role working directly with the President, Sue Speakman-Gomez. For this role, you’ll need to live in or near Minneapolis, MN and be willing to work both in our office, located in a co-working space, and from home some days. Typical hours for this role are 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
There may be an occasional need for work outside normal business hours.
Role: The primary role of the Executive Assistant is to stay five steps ahead of the President, tracking all of the administrative details, and clearing the path to make the highest contribution to our organization. The Executive Assistant will be a key asset to the President by anticipating needs at an exceptionally high level, allowing her to develop vision and strategy for all aspects of HousingLink’s operations, so that we can fulfill our annual plans and mission.
While repetitive tasks are certainly part of this position, the tasks assigned can vary from week to week based on the President’s needs and the needs of the organization. The most important responsibility of the Executive Assistant is to ensure that administrative tasks and projects are implemented with a high level of accuracy, efficiency, confidentiality, flexibility, and positivity in order to support the initiatives of the President.
More Information and How to Apply Here
COVID-19 Community Testing
All COVID-19 testing is no cost at Minnesota community testing sites. We are working together with communities to make sure everyone can get tested.
a study by Grant Drawve and Susan McNeeley
Typically, when place is considered to influence individual-level recidivism, the primary focus is community-level disadvantage through a social disorganization framework. Extant studies have been pivotal in the development of spatial recidivism research; however, there are limited approaches integrating elements from the larger environmental backcloth. Building from social disorganization and the three theoretical pillars of environmental criminology (RC, RAT, CPT), the current study sought to expand on what measures are considered at the tract-level to reflect a wider body of spatial criminological research. The current study employed a multilevel model to analyze a statewide sample of people on parole released from Minnesota state prisons to private residences in 2009, accounting for individual- and tract-level covariates. Neighborhood-level presence of prosocial places (churches, employment services, and civil and social organizations) was negatively related to recidivism, but this relationship was weaker in disadvantaged neighborhoods. The discussion is nested with the broader ecological and environmental corrections literature on better accounting for and measuring “where” characteristics for recidivism to use jointly with the known “who” characteristics.
Connect to your COVID-19 vaccine
The State of Minnesota is committed to the equitable distribution of safe and effective vaccines for protection against COVID-19. As vaccine supply increases and doses become more widely available, opportunities to get vaccinated will expand.
Fill out this form to stay updated on your eligibility for the COVID-19 vaccine and connect to vaccine opportunities in your area when they become available. If you have questions about the form or need language assistance, please call our MinnesotaCOVID-19 Vaccine Connector hotline at 833-431-2053
Metro Transit: Provide feedback on connecting bus study concept plan
Metro Transit asks the public to review the concept plan and submit feedback via survey. If you haven't done so, please take this 10-minute survey. Help us understand what is important to our route riders in the south metro.
The comment period is open through February 22, 2021. Please share this email and survey with your friends, family and colleagues that may use these routes.
What happens next?
Transit planners will compile and review the comments and use the feedback to modify the service plan as appropriate before seeking approval from the Metropolitan Council in mid-2021. A summary of the comments will be posted on the project website. The current schedule anticipates implementing the route and service changes in late 2021.
Proposed changes in concept plan
In late 2021, the METRO Orange Line is scheduled to begin new bus rapid transit service in the I-35W corridor area in south Minneapolis, Richfield, Bloomington, and Burnsville.
Routes 535 and 597 will be mostly replaced by the Orange Line. New and restructured local routes, listed in groups below by geographic area, will connect with the Orange Line at stations along I-35W:
• 7 and 515 following 66th and Cedar in Richfield
• 27 serving south Minneapolis Phillips neighborhood
• 534, 553 along Lyndale/Portland
• 536, 539 serving Normandale and Mall of America
• 538, 540, 542 along I-494
• 547, 548, 597 serving south Bloomington
More information at: metrotransit.org/olcb
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Indoor tiny house village for homeless people set to open next month in Minneapolis
Inside a former publishing warehouse in Minneapolis’ trendy North Loop neighborhood, an entire tiny house community is being built to shelter 100 people experiencing homelessness.
By the time it opens next month, street names will be added to the rows between the structures, each with four to eight individual rooms painted green, blue, yellow and gray.
“The colors will create kind of neighborhoods,” said Emily Bastian, Avivo’s vice president of ending homelessness. “We really want it to feel like a village.”
While tiny home shelter communities have been built outside in warmer parts of the country, Avivo Village is the first to recreate the concept indoors.
Each room, with its own locking door, provides a level of privacy and personal space uncommon in many shelters. And long term, it could prove to be a more affordable alternative to leasing hotel rooms, which local nonprofits and governments have been doing since the beginning of the pandemic in March.
Avivo received $6 million from the state, county and city to launch what is now a two-year pilot with the idea that the program could be funded long term through existing state programs like MNCare and Housing Support.
Read Entire Story Here
Notice of Intent to Solicit Proposals for Grant Funding for Reentry and Halfway House Services to Probationers and Supervised Releasees starting in FY22. Grant funding in the amount of $300,000 will be made available in FY 22, with the possibility of extending the grant by four, one-year terms upon satisfactory delivery of services by the vendor and availability of funds.
The Minnesota Department of Corrections, Grants and Subsidies Unit is requesting proposals for the purpose of awarding grants to counties or groups of counties throughout MN to provide services for supervised releasees and probationers to be placed in halfway houses and/or community based housing with effective, evidence-based reentry services. The Minnesota Department of Corrections is seeking grant applicants that will serve diverse populations and/or populations experiencing inequities and/or disparities that past grant funding has not adequately addressed.
Grants will be financed from funds made available through the Legislative Supplemental Budget Bill HF2749, Article 4, Section 6, Subdivision 3(C). Counties throughout MN are eligible to apply for these funds, but must provide a 100 percent (50% of the total funds awarded to their agency) match to receive these grants.
A Request for Proposal will be available electronically from this office. The Request for Proposal and the RFP Notice can be found at: https://mn.gov/doc/staff-partners/doing-business-doc/request-proposals/. Submissions of Proposals must be received electronically no later than 4:30PM, March 29, 2021. Late proposals will not be considered. Mailed proposals will not be considered.
The Request for Proposal can be obtained from:
Timothy Schrupp Grants and Subsidies Unit Department of Corrections Timothy.schrupp@state.mn.us
This request does not obligate the State to complete the work contemplated in this notice. The State reserves the right to cancel this solicitation. All expenses incurred in responding to this notice are solely the responsibility of the responder.
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BJA FY 21 Second Chance Act Pay for Success Initiative
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP),Bureau of Justice Assistance is seeking applications for funding for state, local, and tribal governments to enhance or implement performance-based and outcomes-based contracts with reentry, permanent supportive housing, or recovery housing providers to reduce recidivism and address the substance use disorders impacting formerly incarcerated people. This program furthers the Department’s mission by reducing recidivism and building more effective service delivery systems that pay for performance and outcomes.
Click Here for More Information and How to Apply
Available Funding: Bridges and Bridges Regional Treatment Center (RTC) Rental Assistance Programs
Minnesota Housing is pleased to announce the availability of up to $9,700,000 in funding to provide rental assistance for people having very low incomes and a mental illness who are waiting for a housing choice voucher (HCV) or another rental subsidy.
Current Bridges and Bridges RTC administrators, and new applicants are eligible to apply for funding if they meet the requirements listed below.
Eligible Bridges and Bridges RTC applicants must be a housing agency (HA), tribal nation, or nonprofit organization with demonstrated experience working with low-income housing programs and with people exiting institutions, segregated settings, and supervised release. In order to be eligible, the application must also include documentation of a partnership with a local mental health entity (LMH Entity) that will collaborate with the Bridges administrator to implement the program. The partnership must also identify behavioral health service partners that can and are committed to serve Bridges participants in the service area.
An LMH Entity can be:
- A local mental health authority (LMHA) operating under the authority of the county
- A tribal nation mental health agency operating under the authority of the tribal government
- An adult mental health initiative (AMHI), which is a collaboration of county LMHAs and/or a tribal nation mental health agency that provides or enhances coordination of the delivery of mental health services required under the Minnesota Adult Mental Health Act
NOTE: The application requires the expertise of both the Bridges rental assistance administrator and the LMH Entity in order to successfully respond.
Applications are due no later than 12:00 p.m. (noon) CDT on Friday, March 19, 2021. For application materials and more information, visit our website.
Questions? Contact Ellie Miller at 651.215.6236.
Available Funding: COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Program
Minnesota Housing is pleased to announce the availability of up to $5 million in funding to implement community outreach and engagement that connects with households that might not learn about or have access to learn about the COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance program; and, to assist applicants to submit complete applications to the central application system. Applications are due by 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, February 25.
The Minnesota Housing Finance Agency (Minnesota Housing) has received approximately $290 million of funding to create and operate the COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance program which may be used for rent, utilities and home energy costs.
Eligible applicants will have demonstrated experience working with populations that are least likely to know about and/or able to independently apply for COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance funding:
- Nonprofit/community-based organizations
- Family Homeless Prevention and Assistance Program (FHPAP) grantees or subgrantees
- COVID-19 Housing Assistance Program administrators
- Federally recognized Tribes in Minnesota
- State judicial districts that have onsite help centers, services centers, or other resources for households dealing with housing crises
- Local units of government (cities, counties, PHAs, HRAs) that operate as a central resource for housing assistance and will have staff perform this work in the field, such as in homes, businesses and/or community centers.
Organizations that are led by People of Color, Indigenous Individuals, and/or Women or structured with staffing to meet the needs of households that otherwise may not learn or know about the program will receive additional points in the application process.
Information Session: An informational webinar about the Request for Proposals and application process will be held on Monday, February 22 from 3:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Applications are due by 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, February 25, 2021.For application materials and more information, visit our website.
Questions?Contact Jessica Deegan, Director of Federal Affairs at CERA.MHFA@state.mn.us
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