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Greetings! We hope our newsletter serves as a resource for
staying connected to Hennepin County activities and staying updated on county
news and services.
As always, please reach out with questions, comments, or to
learn more about how to get involved.
My best,
In an effort to enhance accountability and public trust, the County Board approved a plan for the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) and the Department of Community Corrections and Rehabilitation (DOCCR) to pursue approval for the use and management of Body Worn Cameras (BWC). BWCs provide transparency related to contact with the public. Implementing BWC equipment will:
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Preserve evidence of public safety personnel interaction with citizens
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Capture digital audio and video evidence for criminal, civil and traffic-related court cases
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Enhance safety of public safety personnel and the public
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Serve as a training tool for public safety personnel to enhance safety and inform best practices
The County leveraged an existing State Contract to negotiate a five-year proposed program that includes: BWCs, upgraded equipment and data storage.
Phase one of the program will include outfitting HCSO licensed and volunteer deputies covering patrol, warrants, water patrol, hospital security, transport, crime scene investigations, emergency services unit, and their associated supervisors.
Phase two of the program will include outfitting the rest of the HCSO agency through discussions with the Fourth Judicial District to discuss the impact on court procedures. The rollout will include both courts and detention.
Read more here.
Hennepin County Prepares for Final Sale of Rehabbed Homes as Pilot Nears Completion
Hennepin County, through its Resident and Real Estate Services (RRES) and Purchasing departments, created a Small Business Enterprise (SBE) Home Rehabilitation pilot program in 2016 to complete rehabilitation of tax forfeited homes. The program partners with local rehab contractors to provide business development and job opportunities for emerging small business firms and to return a tax forfeited homes to the tax base.
Four homes (1239 Logan Avenue North, Minneapolis; 1713/1715 44th Avenue North, Minneapolis; 3544 34th Avenue South, Minneapolis; and 8616 Cedar Lake Road, St. Louis Park) are nearly complete and ready for sale. RRES has requested the Hennepin County Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HCHRA) facilitate sales to the City of Lakes Community Land Trust (CLCLT) and the West Hennepin Affordable Housing Land Trust (WHAHLT) for resale to income-qualified buyers.
CLCLT provides homeownership opportunities in Minneapolis and WHAHLT provides homeownership opportunities in suburban Hennepin County for individuals and families with incomes at or below 80 percent of area median income.
Preservation of affordable homeownership often requires affordability assistance to bridge gaps between obtainable homeowner mortgages and resale/admin/closing costs. The current estimated gap for these four homes is $400,000 (to be sourced by the land trusts through Minnesota Housing, Hennepin County, HCHRA, and/or city funds made available for this purpose).
After the public hearing on November 12, 2019, the HCHRA Board will consider sale of the four properties to the land trusts on December 3, 2019, including use of any HCHRA affordability gap financing authorized in the 2019 budget.
Read more here.
Reducing Barriers within Health and Human Services
A new grant funds the enhancement of ongoing work to improve health outcomes for residents by eliminating barriers, providing cost-effective care, reducing disparities and advancing the county's health and human services system integration efforts.
The board accepted funds from the Kresge Foundation for the Integrating Health and Human Services: Systems for Equitable & Thriving Communities project.
Hennepin Health, Hennepin Healthcare, NorthPoint Health and Wellness, and Hennepin County Human Services and Public Health will work together on the project as well as collaborate with other grantees from around the country and partner with community organizations to share best practices.
Year one will focus on Hennepin Health members with significant behavioral health needs.
At the end of October, I joined neighbors to mourn the death of Ted Ferrara who was killed by a driver at Lyndale Ave S and 25th Street— an accident that exemplifies the danger and need for intervention on that stretch of road.
Please join us for a community conversation to decide what the future of the street will look like both in the immediate future, and long term.
- The meeting will be held on Monday, December 2, in the evening
- The location and time of this meeting are still being determined. I'll send an email with details when logistics are finalized
For more information, please connect with my office at 612-348-7883 or my principal aide Elie Farhat, elie.farhat@hennepin.us.
Metro Transit, an operating unit of the Metropolitan Council, is beginning work on a Connecting Bus Study for the METRO Orange Line. Since the Orange Line will go down I-35W and will be used by many District 3 constituents, I want to spread the word about this engagement opportunity.
The study will inform bus service planning in the I-35W corridor area in south Minneapolis, Richfield, Bloomington, and Edina. Metro Transit's goal is to maximize the effectiveness and efficiency of transit service in the area and to provide strong route connections to the Orange Line bus rapid transit service coming to I-35W in late 2021.
Metro Transit has designed a number of way for residents to provide feedback or make remarks:
Survey
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Please take and share the online survey to provide information about your travel needs in the corridor. We will use this anonymously collected data to help develop initial service recommendations. This survey is also available in Spanish, and is open through November 30, 2019.
Open House
- Thursday, Nov. 7, 4-6 p.m. at Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Recreation Center
- 4055 Nicollet Ave., Minneapolis
- Served by Route 18
Email
Information about the study is now available on our website atwww.metrotransit.org/metro-orange-line-connecting-bus-service.
You're invited. In addition to our regularly scheduled board meetings, the County Board often meets for updates on Thursday mornings. These are informal opportunities to discuss emerging issues. No decisions are made, and topics are subject to change. Board briefings occur in the board room on the 24th floor of the Hennepin County Government Center and are open to the public. Call my office to confirm briefing time and location.
Thursday, November 14
- 9:00am- 10:00am: Climate Resilience and Adaption Planning
Budget briefings are open to the public. My office welcomes direct feedback via call or email, or in-person testimony at the meetings.
Thursday, November 14:
- 1pm - 4pm: Administrator amendments/commissioner discussion
Tuesday, November 26:
- 9am - noon – Commissioner amendments
Tuesday, December 3:
- 6pm - Truth in Taxation public meeting
Thursday, December 12:
- 1:30pm – County board approves budget and levy at regularly scheduled board meeting
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Maria Ammerman
Senior Human Service Representative
Linden Hills, Minneapolis
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Describe your work.
I work in the South Minneapolis Regional office for the Aging and Disability Services team (ADS) within Hennepin County Human Services. We provide the community with many different resources such as long-term care services, waivers, housing support services, food, cash, and healthcare.
What do you find most enjoyable about your work?
I really enjoy connecting with members of our community. The system can be difficult to navigate at times and can bring challenges that we help to minimize. The work we do really does impact many people’s lives in our community and beyond.
What is the most challenging part of the work?
With so many moving pieces and sometimes constraints beyond a worker’s control, it can make it difficult to have the resources to serve the needs of the people in our community. The number of people my team services is only increasing every year, so it’s of great value to have access to the right resources we need to meet their needs. Human Service Representatives hear numerous community members’ voices every day and see the impacts on people’s lives such as our community’s veterans, refugees, asylees, seniors and disabled children and their families. With so many changes in program requirements throughout the year as well, it requires a vast knowledge of the programs to be able to give these resources effectively.
What is one thing everyone should know about the work you do?
We are often the first people someone talks to within the county and the face of their experience with Hennepin County Human Services. HSR’s, social workers, case managers, care coordinators, community non-profits, and many more are all working together to provide services as each part of our job impacts the next to provide for the members of our community. There are many moving parts that can be overlooked at times, and we all have a passion for the work we do to try and meet the needs of the community and the people we serve
Today, November 5: City and School District Election Day
Find your polling place
Determine what elections, if any, are happening in your district and find your polling place on the Secretary of State’s website.
Register to vote on Election Day
You can register or update your registration when you vote. Remember to bring proof of residence.
If you changed your name or address since the last election, you will need to update your registration.
View election results
After the polls close, view election results on the Secretary of State’s website.
For more information about elections in Hennepin County, visit www.hennepin.us/elections.
Stand up and help your neighbors get counted
Apply for 2020 Census jobs
The Census is a count of everyone living in the U.S., no matter who you are or where you live. But it's so much more than that.
Leaders use Census data to determine where billions of dollars go. Each person who participates in the Census means $28,000 per decade for your community.
The census is recruiting now for jobs that make great side hustles and pay $20 in Hennepin County. Learn more and apply at 2020census.gov/jobs.
Connections for people experiencing homelessness
Hennepin Waypoint app
Hennepin Waypoint is a website that connects people experiencing homelessness or extreme financial hardship to services they need, such as shelter, food, clothing, public restrooms and more. Learn more at hennepin.us/waypoint.
Severe cold warming options
Several places are open during specified hours for when the temperature or wind-chill become dangerously low. Everyone is welcome. View the list of locations.
Fall tree planting
This fall, Hennepin County has joined in planting more than 700 trees along county roads, at schools and in city parks. Projects are helping address emerald ash borer and increase the diversity and resiliency of the county’s tree canopy. Learn more in the latest edition of the Canopy newsletter.
Writing classes for adults, teens and kids
This November, learn about publishing for beginners, writing your way to YouTube stardom and great college application essays with The Loft Literacy Center at your library.
Contact us
Marion Greene
Commissioner, 3rd District
612-348-7883
Elie Farhat
Principal Aide
612-348-7125
Laura Hoffman
District Aide
612-348-0863
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