MN Transition Coalition News - April 5, 2021

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Housing People Impacted By the Criminal Legal System:

A Training for Housing Providers

Criminal legal system reform is one of the most pressing civil rights issues of our day. Deeply intertwined with criminal legal reform, there is currently a housing crisis in our communities, especially for people and families impacted by the criminal legal system. People with a conviction record and/or history of criminal legal system involvement often struggle with housing discrimination, income instability, family reunification, and a need for employment services. Black and brown individuals are impacted by the criminal legal system disproportionately and face debilitating legal restrictions once released. As housing providers, you can actively dismantle some of these restrictions and create access to opportunity.

Enterprise Community Partners, in partnership with The Fair Housing Justice Center, The Fortune Society, Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), and The Vera Institute of Justice, has created a course that is tailored to housing providers and agencies, landlords, and organizations looking to support housing opportunities for residents impacted by the criminal legal system in their buildings.

Ten to fifteen individuals representing a range of housing organizations will be selected to participate in the course. Enterprise strongly encourages representation from affordable housing developers, management companies, faith-based organizations, and service providers.

Throughout the course, participants will learn about the barriers that people with conviction face and solutions to successfully house and support this population. Participants will participate in virtual site visits and will be part of a cohort of organizations working to implement the curriculum's learnings into their work.

The application deadline is April 16, 2021, at 11:59 PM. For more information, please contact Michelle Mulcahy at mmulcahy@enterprisecommunity.org

Click Here to Apply


Substance Use Disorders Recovery with a Focus on Employment and Education

This guide helps health care providers, systems, and communities support recovery from substance use disorders via employment mechanisms. It describes relevant research, examines emerging and best practices, identifies knowledge gaps and implementation challenges, and offers resources.

Authoring Agency:  Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA)


employ

DOC

State of Minnesota Department of Corrections

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

Project Coordinator: Minnesota Juvenile Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program

PROJECT NAME: Project Coordinator for the Minnesota Juvenile Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program.

DETAILS: The Juvenile Justice Reform Unit of Department of Corrections requests proposals for a contracted position of one full time Project Coordinator for the Minnesota Juvenile Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program. The Project Coordinator will report to the Director of Juvenile Justice Reform on at least a weekly basis.

The Project Coordinator is responsible for planning, coordinating, and implementing the Minnesota Juvenile Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program (MJJMHCP). MJJMHCP is an interagency and cross-system collaboration to improve responses and outcomes for youth with mental illness (MI) or co-occurring MI and substance abuse (CMISA) who encounter the juvenile justice system.

The goal of this program, through the work of the Program Coordinator is to support public safety efforts through partnerships with juvenile justice, mental health, and substance abuse agencies to enhance responses to justice-involved youth with MI and CMISA.

Work is anticipated to start on, or after, June 1, 2021

COPY REQUEST: To get a copy of the Request for Proposals, please send a written request, by email to jana.carr-weerts@state.mn.us or follow this link: https://mn.gov/doc/staff-partners/doing-business-doc/request-proposals/.

PROPOSAL DEADLINE: Proposals submitted in response to the Request for Proposals in this advertisement must be received via email no later than 4:30 p.m. Central Standard Time, Monday, April 19, 2021. Proposals must be sent electronically, as mailed copies will not be accepted. Late proposals will not be considered. 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.

Click Here for More Information


job

Branches Program
Applications Now Open!

At Tree Trust, we believe transformation happens when young people learn the skills to build meaningful careers while making our community a greener, healthier place to live.

Grow Your Green Career!

Tree Trust Branches offers a twelve-week program starting June 7th where young people, ages 18-25, develop hands-on paid career training in tree care and property maintenance. Earn industry credentials and get connected with future employers. Applications close Friday, April 30th.

 

Who Can Participate?

• Young adults, between the ages of 18-25, who have both a valid driver’s license and high school diploma or GED.
• Individuals must be eligible to work in the United States
• Reside in the following Counties: Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Scott, Ramsey, and Washington

Click Here for Branches Application

Branches Crew Leader

Teach, supervise, and motivate young adults (18-25) on a daily basis in a safe, educational, and professional manner by providing high quality job-training experience through the completion of community-based projects and industry-recognized curriculum. Projects will include tree care, grounds maintenance, and may include landscape construction.

Click Here for Crew Leader Application


Sanford Behavioral Health is Hiring

As we head into spring, Sanford is expecting new growth and opportunities! Find all of our behavioral health job opportunities here: https://sanfordhealth.jobs/jobs/?q=behavioral%20health&r=25&location=Bemidji&page=1&sort=relevance

Here’s a highlight of some newly posted positions:

Treatment Coordinator joining Mindy Broden’s Program for Addiction Recovery (PAR) team: entry level pay $16.50/hour, full-time position https://sanfordhealth.jobs/bemidji-mn/treatment-coordinator-program-for-addiction-recovery-ft-days/683010511B1247F2B5C0216B4911E611/job/

Behavioral Health Therapist joining Dane Furfaro’s Children’s Therapeutic Support Service (CTSS) team: entry level pay $27.50 ($24.00 for clinical trainees) full-time salaried position https://sanfordhealth.jobs/bemidji-mn/behavioral-health-therapist-mental-health-professional-lpcc-or-licsw-childrens-therapy-ft-days/1AC68B39DEF14CB1A94421A7F791B2E6/job/

Housing Supervisor joining Dane Furfaro’s Stable Housing team as the operational arm of Housing (we’ll train/teach in the area of behavioral health, we’d like your housing expertise!): entry level pay $27.50 full-time salaried https://sanfordhealth.jobs/bemidji-mn/housing-supervisor-behavioral-health/3C60B32255BE4EE99608D0CB36CBF853/job/

Behavioral Health Counselor joining Heidi Bruder’s Mobile Crisis team: entry level pay $24.00/hour, full-time awake overnight mental health practitioner (2 openings) working 3 12-hour shifts per week https://sanfordhealth.jobs/bemidji-mn/behavioral-health-counselor-mental-health-practitioner-lpc-or-lgsw-mobile-crisis/AE59D29C8BE24269BC4334D2CACE0E90/job/

Behavioral Health Therapist joining Megan Hansen’s outpatient therapy team: entry level pay $27.50 ($24.00 for clinical trainees) full-time salaried position https://sanfordhealth.jobs/bemidji-mn/lpcc-licsw-behavioral-health-therapist-bemidji-clinic/959CAA24DEDE44C483835BDBD7656DB7/job/

Certified Peer Specialist joining Shawn Whiting’s Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) team: entry level pay $13.50 full-time https://sanfordhealth.jobs/bemidji-mn/certified-peer-specialist-peer-support-advocate-act-program-ft-days/0EA3D16C4D7A42AAA74B103872227787/job/

RN Health Coach joining Vicki Roff’s Intensive Residential Treatment Services (IRTS) team: entry level pay $27.50 full-time daytime hours https://sanfordhealth.jobs/bemidji-mn/rn-health-coach-intensive-residential-treatment-ft-days/2BD226FD0DB149D88C7FF462AAF28F6D/job/

Crisis Response Workers joining Heidi Bruder’s Mobile Crisis team: $4/hour during “on-call” time with $40/hour pay when activated https://sanfordhealth.jobs/bemidji-mn/crisis-response-worker-mobile-crisis-prn/9267A1FD210D45E0AC833F6022C7808E/job/


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Roundtable on Youth Jobs and Development Highlights Importance of Engaging Young People in Employment Opportunities

Getting young people working is good for their careers and for the economy

St. Paul – Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) Commissioner Steve Grove and Deputy Commissioner Hamse Warfa held a virtual roundtable on Friday, March 19 focused on the impact of the pandemic on youth jobs. The discussion was attended by employers across the state and is part of a push to place more young people into great jobs this coming summer.  

The roundtable is part of a broader series of discussions the agency is hosting called “The Next Minnesota Economy,” focusing on inclusive economic growth, reskilling our labor market and creating good jobs. 

“We want to help employers enable a surge in hiring more young people this summer,” said DEED Commissioner Steve Grove. “It’s not just important for their careers, it’s important for our economy overall to get young people working.” 

“Participation from the business community, community providers and government is what it will take to provide young people with the opportunities they deserve,” said DEED Deputy Commissioner for Workforce Development Hamse Warfa. “As we think of inclusive economic recovery, it’s important that we center around equity, so that communities hit hardest are on the front end of receiving services.” 

Young Minnesotans have been particularly hard hit by pandemic-related job losses. In January 2021, the unemployment rate for Minnesota teens (16-19-year-olds) was 13.8% as compared to 7.6% in January 2020. There was a large decline in the number of teenagers employed in Minnesota, from 132,900 in January 2020 to 117,800 in January 2021. In addition, the total number of teenagers in the labor force declined, from 143,800 available workers in January 2020 to 136,700 workers in January 2021, the smallest teen labor force since 2016. 

Friday’s discussion built on earlier youth roundtables, which surfaced ways to maximize the skills that young Minnesotans bring to the table, including leveraging their unique perspectives on everything from social media strategy to membership on company boards. The previous discussion also raised the importance of finding ways to continue to engage youth during and even beyond their summer job or internship. 

Youth job programs are an important part of youth employment in Minnesota, and many of these programs are provided by DEED grantees throughout Minnesota. DEED has set a goal with partners of placing 6,000 youth in jobs or internships through these youth programs this upcoming summer. 

Roundtable participants offered a variety of thoughts on engaging young people in summer jobs or internships as we come out of the pandemic. A youth employment program participant also offered her perspective on how her supervisor has helped her navigate her first job and the benefits of employment. 

“It was a big deal for me to get my very first job,” said Jenave Mendoza, a youth participant enrolled in a Youth At Work program through the Minnesota Valley Action Council. Her supervisor, Sharla Allison, helps her figure out everything from filling out timecards to planning for next steps in her employment. “It’s really cool to have somewhere to go after school and to go to work and to do something productive.” 

“In 2021, we have a really committed and dedicated focus toward getting to pre-COVID numbers in terms of onboarding the students in a number of departments,” said Eric Rasmusson, Senior Manager of Talent Acquisition at Marvin. “We’re able to expose youth and students to so many areas, not only manufacturing but also HR and engineering. We really like to diversify exposure and hopefully they can build that into their career and hopefully take that career and bring it back to Marvin.” 

“We need to make sure that everyone has equitable access to opportunities,” said Jessica Chisholm, Assistant Vice President of Campus Recruiting, U.S. Bank. “It comes from the top down...that leadership around ‘why is it so important’ and that’s what drives our engagement with the community from an equity standpoint.“ 

You can see a recording of the March 19 Youth Jobs Roundtable on DEED’s Facebook page.   

DEED is the state's principal economic development agency, promoting business recruitment, expansion and retention, workforce development, international trade and community development. For more details about the agency and its services, visit the DEED website or follow us on Twitter.


The Minnesota Statewide Training Planning Committee seeks information from vendors and consultants experienced in developing and carrying out trainings regarding potential work to develop and/or administer trainings on core tenets of homeless response work including but not limited to Housing First, Harm Reduction, Racism and Equity, and Trauma Informed Care.

Training offerings may be developed across one or multiple formats to best serve the needs of service providers, frontline staff, managers, leadership, and/or advocates working towards an end to homelessness in the state of Minnesota. Trainings should intentionally integrate the principles of other topics into the scope of work, be accessible to providers across the state, and be rooted in anti-racism.

The LOI also seeks to understand the potential content, costs, timeline and capacity of entities interested in providing one or multiple trainings on the topics identified above to partners in the state of Minnesota. This LOI should not be construed as intent, commitment, or promise to acquire services, supplies, or solutions offered.

Respondents will be evaluated on demonstrated cultural competency and integration of anti-racist practices, experience, staff capacity, reasonableness of budget, and proposed approach to deliverable(s).

The Minnesota Statewide Training Planning Committee invites all interested parties to submit a written response to this LOI that encompasses one or more topics and/or training formats as outlined in the LOI that follows

LOI Due Date: April 15, 2021                                 Target Start Date: June 15, 2021

LOI Contact Information: Mike Manhard, mike@mesh-mn.org

Click Here for Application                              Click Here for Budget Worksheet


15th Annual Sons of Bransford Awards

We are seeking nominations of African American men and women who have shown real leadership and serve as an advocate for African American youth, men and the community whenever the opportunity presented itself.

We will also honor Mr. Bransford's life and leadership in light of his passing on July 31, 2020. Jim has touched multiple generations of families with his plain spoken and practical approach to solving life’s problems. Jim was the embodiment of resiliency, tenacity and love for family and community.

Go online at SonsofBransford.com for more information and to nominate someone by April 30, 2021. Final awardees will notify by May 14, 2021

Award winners will be recognized at the 15th Annual Sons of Bransford Awards being held virtually from 3pm to 4pm on June 25, 2021.

For more information www.SonsofBransford.com


List of available mental health groups that are meeting in Ramsey County


funding

DHS is seeking to provide services through the Office of Economic Opportunity’s Safe Harbor Shelter and Housing Grant

DHS is seeking to provide services through the Office of Economic Opportunity’s Safe Harbor Shelter and Housing Grant.

DHS, through its Economic Assistance and Employment Supports Division, Office of Economic Opportunity, is seeking to provide outreach, shelter, and/or housing services for sexually exploited youth for the anticipated availability of Safe Harbor Shelter and Housing funding.

The Safe Harbor Shelter and Housing program provides funding for the provision of services to youth under 25 years old who have been victims of sexual exploitation and sex trafficking, through specialized outreach, emergency shelter, and supportive housing. Programs for sexually exploited or trafficked youth have specialized services specific to the needs of this population and have appropriate security, involvement of survivor leaders and formal collaborations with law enforcement, juvenile justice, and child welfare.

While Safe Harbor implementation of outreach, shelter, and housing services has grown and expanded to meet many needs over the past several years, certain gaps remain. Currently we experience gaps in Safe Harbor shelter and housing targeted to certain populations including, but not limited to, individuals who are male identifying, the LGBTQIAP2+ population, the American Indian population, and parenting youth.

The term of any resulting contract is anticipated to be for 24 months, from July 1, 2021 until June 30, 2023. STATE may extend the contract up to a total of five (5) years.


You Can Help Health Center Patients Obtain Internet Access

You have an exciting opportunity to help health center patients obtain the internet access they need to connect with virtual health care, jobs, and education. Eligible health center patients may apply for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) program when it opens in late April. This bulletin provides background information, ideas on how you can prepare to help, and resources.

Background

The EBB program lowers the cost of high-speed internet service to ensure people have the connectivity they need during the ongoing COVID-19 public health emergency. By the end of April, $3.2 billion in funding will be available to provide qualifying households discounts on their internet service bills and an opportunity to receive a discount on a computer or tablet. The EBB program is similar to the Lifeline program with expanded eligibility, vendors, and subsidies. This benefit is available directly to eligible consumers on a first come, first served basis. For more information, see the recorded technical assistance webinars and other materials from the FCC-supported technical assistance provider Universal Service Administrative Company.