Heading Home Hennepin Monthly Newsletter
The Heading Home Hennepin monthly newsletter aims to be a resource for the community of individuals that work to increase housing stability for residents of Hennepin County.
This month in the HHH Newsletter:
Featured Content:
- Eviction moratorium is ending, apply for rent help now
- City announces ARP spending plan, bolsters housing and homelessness resources
Hennepin CoC updates:
Hennepin County updates:
State and Federal updates
Community Resources
Hennepin CoC Governing Boards and Committees
- Next Heading Home Hennepin Executive meeting date is set
- View information about current CoC governing boards and committees
Featured:
|
The eviction moratorium is ending, apply for rent help now
The state of Minnesota has announced an end to the eviction moratorium. You will still be protected from eviction for past due rent if you have applied for COVID-19 rent assistance.
Renters in Hennepin County have two options to apply for rent help:
-
Zero Balance Project: Ask your landlord to start and lead the application process on your behalf
-
RentHelpMN: You or your landlord can start the application process
Until October 12, 2021, landlords must give renters a 15-day notice before they file an eviction for not paying rent. Visit Renters Help (211unitedway.org) for legal information and resources for renters.
Key dates
-
June 30: You could be evicted for violating your lease, or if you qualify for COVID-19 rent assistance but refuse to apply.
-
July 14: You could be evicted for violating your lease, but not for not paying rent
-
August 13: Your lease could be terminated if you have not paid rent and are not eligible for COVID-19 rent assistance
-
September 12: You could be evicted if you have not paid rent and are not eligible for COVID-19 rent assistance
-
October 12: Your could be terminated or you could be evicted for not paying rent unless you are eligible for COVID-19 rent assistance and have a pending application
-
June 1, 2022: All lease termination and eviction protections are lifted
Renters in Hennepin County can be protected from eviction for past due rent if they have applied for rent assistance through RentHelpMN or the Zero Balance Project and are waiting for a decision on their application.
Please go to http://www.hennepin.us/rent-help for more details on these programs.
City announces ARP spending plan, bolsters housing and homelessness resources
Minneapolis city council adopts spending plan for first round of American Rescue Plan funding
The Minneapolis City Council voted to approve the first round of American Rescue Plan (ARP) funding, affirming Mayor Jacob Frey’s initial proposal announced last month. The nearly $102 million approved is the first of two rounds of the $271 million in federal funding awarded to the City of Minneapolis through the ARP.
Programs and services related to housing and homelessness were budgeted $28,325,000.00 of the round 1 spending to aid with:
- stabilizing low-income renters and homeowners ($7,075,000)
- increasing capacity to respond to homelessness ($6,000,000)
- reducing racial disparities in homeownership ($4,450,000)
- developing new, low barrier housing ($6,200,000)
- producing new missing middle public housing ($4,600,000)
Keeping residents in their homes
Very low-income, and other at-risk homeowners and renters (seniors, people with disabilities, and veterans) are often at risk of losing their homes due to deferred maintenance and the sustainability of mortgage or rental payments. With an investment over $7,000,000 residents will have more opportunity to stay in their homes. $2 million of this investment will provide funding for the low-income home repairs/maintenance program. Additional investments include the Affordable Homeownership Preservation Grant Program ($200,000), assistance for homeowners at risk of foreclosure ($1.5 million), Heritage Park Emergency Stabilization Support ($375,000), Land Trust and perpetual affordable housing models ($1 million), and NOAH preservation ($2 million).
Responding to homelessness and creating pathways out
The City has seen an increase in encampments over the last year and needs more innovative, low barrier solutions to create pathways out of homelessness and into housing. The investment on responding to homelessness totals $6 million. A priority of this funding is focused on responding to the needs of encampments ($1 million). This funding will support hygiene stations (porta potty, handwashing, syringe litter), fund community outreach partners to provide health related outreach, and develop and implement a plan that will result in homeless individuals having a location or an item that would allow them to keep personal items secure.
Another $500,000 of the investment will support a “flexible fund” with an emphasis on creating a pathway out of unsheltered homelessness into permanent housing solutions.
An additional $2.5 million will be used to support acquisition and/or rehab of housing, either in one location or scattered site, to serve people who are transitioning out of homelessness.
$2 million will be used to acquire a property for the site of a new, 30-bed emergency homeless shelter for people who identify as women. Hennepin County, in partnership with the non-profits that operate shelters and people with lived experience of homelessness identified the need for a stand-alone emergency shelter in order to provide appropriate emergency shelter for individuals who identify as women who are experiencing homelessness.
Reducing Racial Disparities in Homeownership
Barriers in homeownership are anticipated to be more pronounced due to the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially for BIPOC communities. To counteract this impact, $4,450,000 will be targeted to these communities and the neighborhoods in which they reside. A proposed $550,000 seeks to make the Harrison Townhomes development more accessible to households. $1 million dollars is being invested to expand down payment and closing cost assistance. An additional $500,000 will be contributed to an equity pool to provide manual underwriting of first mortgage products. $2.4 Million of ARP funding will provide the needed affordability to purchase and rehabilitate perpetually affordable housing units.
Developing new housing options
Creating pathways out of homelessness means expanding and developing new and innovative housing options. Single Room Occupancy (SRO) units have historically been a cost-effective part of the housing continuum serving extremely low-income individuals. An investment of $5 million will support acquisition/development of up to approximately 75 SRO dwelling units.
$1.2 million will be used for development assistance for Envision Community to create a community that is designed and led by residents with lived experience of homelessness and $4.6 million of the funding will provide gap financing for MPHA's proposal to assemble approximately 16 scattered sites and replace current structures with modularly constructed higher density.
View the full list of housing and homeless priorities
View the final approved funding plan
Continuum of Care (CoC) Updates
|
2021 Continuum of Care Notice of Funding Availability – it’s coming soon!
The FY2021 Continuum of Care (CoC) Program Competition Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) will be released by HUD any day now! While we do not know exactly when it will be released, we are fully prepared for coordinating the Collaborative Application.
Pre-application for new project proposals to be released soon
In the event that Hennepin CoC scores well nationally and is able to capture “Bonus Funds”, we will be releasing a pre-application for new project proposals. If there are any relocated dollars as part of this competition, new proposals will also be eligible for those funds. Look out for the pre-application notice to be released on this listserv in the next few weeks. Specifics regarding priority populations & housing types will be released in the pre-application RFP based on data trends using HMIS. While we will not know the new fund potential until the NOFA is released, in 2019 (which is the most recent NOFA), Hennepin had potential to capture approximately $600,000 in additional funding.
Learn more about the HUD CoC NOFA process
To learn more about the HUD CoC NOFA process and to read more about the NOFA competition in general, see the FY2019 NOFA (this is just an example & not the FY2021 NOFA). If you have questions, please contact the Hennepin CoC Coordinator, Laura DeRosier - laura.derosier@hennepin.us
What even is a CoC?
If you are unsure what the term Continuum of Care (CoC) means or are just new to the process, you are not alone. We get this question a lot! View an explanation of the CoC here or visit our website.
Emergency Housing Voucher update: progress being made, still seeking additional case managers
On May 5th, HUD issued a notice that designated Emergency Housing Vouchers (EHV) to a select group of Public Housing Authorities (PHAs). In Hennepin County, we have been allotted approximately 350 Emergency Housing Vouchers (EHVs).
Eligibility and Access to Emergency Housing Vouchers
Using guidance provided by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), it was determined that the EHVs will be allocated to households that are currently experiencing literal homeless. This includes households that are residing in emergency shelter, living in an unsheltered location, or fleeing or attempting to flee domestic violence. The addition of the Emergency Housing Vouchers, for this population, will add much needed housing opportunities, to an otherwise under resourced group.
The EHV’s will be issued to households through the Hennepin Coordinated Entry System. Visit www.hennepin.us/coordinated-entry to learn about eligibility and access to the Coordinated Entry System.
Seeking to identify Housing Case Managers
To receive an EHV referral, in Hennepin County, a household must be connected to case management services. Hennepin CoC continues to seek to identify case managers who will provide case management services for the emergency housing voucher recipients. Agencies employing the case managers and the case managers themselves will need to choose to opt in to this program and sign an agreement stating that they agree to meet the expectations that are detailed here: Definition of Required Case Management Services for a Hennepin County issued Emergency Housing Voucher.docx
If you or your agency is interested in providing this critical service, please contact Amy.Donohue@Hennepin.us.
Progress to Date:
- Case managers from three Hennepin County teams have signed up to provide case management services (There is still a need for more case managers!).
- Outreach is being done with shelters, outreach, survivor services, etc.
- There is work being done with ICA to establish the EHV workflow in HMIS to both identify individuals eligible for the EHV project as well as provide the ability to monitor and evaluate the EHV project.
Hennepin County Updates
|
Request for Applications: Opioid Prevention and Response Initiatives
This Request for Applications (RFA) is targeting organizations who represent communities most disproportionately impacted by the opioid crisis in Hennepin County (Native American, African American, unsheltered homeless, and Somali/East-African). This RFA will provide funds directly to organizations who represent these communities to support, intervene, and address the growing opioid crisis, and further impacts of the opioid crisis, with culturally specific approaches.
Go to the Supplier Portal to review and respond to this event. You must be registered before submitting a response.
For registration and submission how-tos and training videos, please visit the Supplier Portal help page.
Proposal due date: August 3, 2021 at 2:00 p.m.
Pre-proposal conference: July 20, 2021 at 2:30 p.m.
The meeting will be hosted by Microsoft Teams:
Closing date for all questions: July 22, 2021 at 2:00 p.m.
State and Federal updates
|
 Apply Now to Serve on the Task Force on Shelter
The recently passed Housing Omnibus bill established a new Task Force on Shelter. The Task Force on Shelter will convene in August 2021 and work together until August 2022 to complete two reports to help develop standards for the provision of shelter and examine the need for, and feasibility and cost of, establishing state oversight of shelter. The group is required to examine existing shelter policies and practices in shelters of all types and engage stakeholders. The group is also required to make recommendations to the legislature regarding standards that will strengthen the shelter system and help ensure that shelters have the ability and resources to provide safe and appropriate shelter services to those in need. You can read the enabling legislation here.
The Task Force is comprised of 24 members. Eighteen members will be appointed to fill seats defined in the legislation that represent various groups with a stake in the Task Force’s work, including people who have experienced homelessness, shelter providers, local government representatives and others. The remaining members will be filled by the Commissioners of Human Services, Health, Corrections, Transportation, Public Safety, and Veterans Affairs or their designee.
Are you interested in serving? Applications are being accepted now through the Secretary of State’s open appointments site. Click here to view the specific requirements for each open seat and to submit your application. If anyone is unable to apply via computer, please reach out to Elizabeth Dressel at 651.248.5548 to request assistance in completing the application. An additional set of questions will be emailed to applicants once they complete the online application through the Secretary of State’s Office.
Initial application review will begin on July 26 and appointments to the Task Force will be made the first week of August. The first meeting is tentatively scheduled for Friday, August 13 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and will be held online.
House Releases Omnibus Housing Finance and Policy Bill sends $20 million to counties to prevent homelessness
A new program in the tax bill will send $20 million per year to counties to prevent and end homelessness for school aged children starting in July 2023. The new program is modeled somewhat on the Homework Starts with Home and championed by Rep. Aisha Gomez. View the final language of the Omnibus Bill (Page/line # 115.26: Local Homeless Prevention Aid) and the expected aid distribution by county. We will share more information as it become available.
Community Resources and announcements
|
 Flyer available in multiple languages : English flyer; Spanish flyer; Somali flyer; Hmong flyer
Oasis for Youth Drop-In Space will resume their regular hours
Oasis for Youth Drop-in, located at 2200 W Old Shakopee Road, in Bloomington, will be hosting an event on July 27th from 2:00 PM - 4:30 PM to celebrate their re-opening. Oasis serves young adults, ages 16 to 24. They are open Monday through Friday from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM.
Minneapolis Opportunity Center resumes normal operations
Catholic Charities Opportunity Center will be returning to regular operation on Monday July 26th, 2021. Please see below for the highlights and calendar of services and events for July.
Location: 740 17th Street E. Minneapolis, MN 55404
New Hours: 7am - 3pm Monday - Friday, and 7am - 1pm Saturdays
July Highlights:
-
Hennepin County Health Care for the Homeless clinic here at the Opportunity Center every Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday 8:00am - 12 noon
-
VA Outreach-VA Affairs VBA. Provides outreach & information on benefits, counseling, substance abuse treatment, housing referrals, health & mental health services to veterans. Tues: 9am-10:30am.
-
HCH Mental Health Wellness Clinic at the Opportunity Center. Mon, Tue, Wed 9am-12noon. Services include: Addiction care and Buprenorphine (Suboxone), Social worker, Medication management, Nurse care coordination, Connection to community resources.
-
Soul Care For Souls. Every Wednesday 8am-12noon, and every second Tue of the month 8am-12noon. Free Foot Care services include: Nail trimming, Callus reduction, Corn reduction and Treatment for athletes foot.
Governing board and committees
|
Next Heading Home Hennepin Executive committee meeting set for August
Description:
- Members are champions for efforts to prevent and end homelessness, as evidenced through public advocacy, funding and external communications
- Provide an enduring forum for broad-based, collaborative and strategic leadership on homelessness in Hennepin County in alignment with Heading Home Hennepin
Next meeting
Wednesday, August 4
Public link to join meeting
View additional information about the CoC governing boards and committees
|
