|
Greetings District 4!
September was a beautiful month. As it comes to a close, I want to share with you a few key items that we got accomplished.
My colleagues and I allocated $20 million to increase mental health resource access with a special focus on culturally competent care and crisis response. The funding will also allow our mental health service center on 1800 Chicago Avenue to be available 24-7.
Other goals with the funding include: keeping children out of child protection (as a first resort), decrease repeat 911 calls, expand the home visiting program to support caregivers, expand school based mental health programs and expand the embedded police/social worker program for 911 mental health calls. Check out more about the effort in this coverage of it- https://kstp.com/news/hennepin-county-approves-20-million-to-expand-add-new-mental-health-support-services/6233931/
I also authored a $10 million Board Action Request (BAR) to advance maternal health efforts in our communities focusing specifically on the birthing outcomes of Black and Indigenous moms. I am proud and grateful to share that the BAR passed unanimously.
Happy future birthday to all the new littles across the county that this action will support!
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 email address and that of my team are hyperlinked at the bottom of the page. You can also keep up with our news and updates on Facebook and Twitter.
With wellness,
Get support to prevent foreclosure
Apply for Hennepin Homeownership Preservation Program
Hennepin County homeowners who are past due on their mortgage or other housing expenses can now apply for support.
The Hennepin Homeownership Prevention Program offers foreclosure prevention advising and limited financial assistance. Not all homeowners will qualify for financial assistance.
Program partners: Hennepin County, City of Minneapolis, Minnesota Homeownership Center
 Early voting began September 17
Many cities and school districts in Hennepin County will hold elections and referendums this year.
Election Day is November 2, but you don't have to wait to cast your ballot - early voting with an absentee ballot began Friday, September 17.
Before you vote
If local elections are taking place where you live, now is the best time to take a few steps to make your voting experience as smooth as possible.
- Register to vote at mnvotes.org.
- Already registered? It's still a good idea to confirm your registration is correct and up to date.
- You will need to update your registration if you’ve moved or changed your name since the last time you voted.
- Find out which candidates and questions you'll be voting on by viewing your sample ballot.
- Choose how you want to vote.
- Fill out your ballot from the comfort of your home with an absentee ballot by mail. To do so, fill out this form and return it to Hennepin County. Contact info is available on our website.
- If you'd rather vote early in-person, please check with your city or school district office to confirm hours and location.
Have more questions? Need help? Visit hennepin.us/elections.
 If you or someone you know is at risk:
☎️ Call the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK
📱 Text "MN" to 741741 for crisis support, 24/7
Remember, you are not alone.
Hennepin County is in CDC’s “high” community transmission rate category for COVID-19. This is a category where CDC recommends that everyone mask indoors or in crowded outdoor spaces, regardless of vaccination status.
Vaccines are safe and highly effective at preventing severe COVID-19 disease, hospitalization, and death. We encourage all eligible people to get vaccinated. Find upcoming Hennepin County vaccination events and clinics at hennepin.us/vaccineregistration.
Minneapolis Convention Center testing site
 |
|
Introducing @YoungHennepin — a brand-new Instagram channel dedicated to young people ages 14-26, as well as community members and agencies that serve and support young people. Give the new channel a follow for connections, resources and support. |
 Fire prevention week is Oct. 3-9, 2021. Batteries may catch fire and be dangerous when they are thrown in the trash.
Be a Battery Hero! Put batteries in their place by dropping them off at a Hennepin County Drop-Off Facility: www.hennepin.us/batteryrecycling
If it lights up, makes a noise, or moves without a plug, it has a battery. Some batteries contain toxic metals, such as cadmium, lead, or mercury, which pose a threat to human health and the environment when batteries are improperly disposed. Learn more about different types of batteries: Battery info sheet (PDF).
With so many kinds of batteries, it can be confusing to know what to do with them. To make it simple, the county accepts all types of household batteries from residents at Hennepin County drop-off facilities
More than 100,000 evacuees from Afghanistan are arriving in the U.S. Hennepin County is aligning with Minnesota's statewide response to prepare for those who will settle here.
Arriving families will be assisted by the state, counties, resettlement agencies and a variety of partners to prepare for life in Minnesota.
You can help
Evacuees will be coming with few belongings. Hennepin County Volunteer Services has set up this Amazon wish list, where anyone can purchase items ranging from diapers to Uber gift cards. The items you purchase will be delivered to a central location and agencies will distribute them to families as needed. Receipt acknowledgements can be provided for tax deductions.
Questions? Contact Kimberly.LaRosa@hennepin.us or Shira.Rabinowicz@hennepin.us for more information or help using the wish list.
Volunteer and donation opportunities are also available at this State of Minnesota site.
Digital Navigation RFP
This RFP will fund community-led digital inclusion, focusing on digital navigation and broadband adoption activities. The county intends to award multiple contracts to organizations that can collectively meet the needs of residents experiencing a digital barrier.
Who should submit a proposal?
- Community organizations, nonprofits, Mutual Assistance Associations, faith-based organizations, educational institutions, and neighborhood groups, social enterprises, or other community-benefit organizations
- Organizations that serve communities of color, people with limited English proficiency, seniors, and youth are encouraged to apply
Application timeline
- Questions are due October 5, 2021, at 2 p.m.
- Applications due October 14, 2021, at 2 p.m.
Digital Navigation RFP materials are posted in the Hennepin County Supplier Portal.
Digital Skills Training RFP
This RFP solicits vendors to provide digital skills training in formats and languages familiar to county residents, focusing on basic digital skills, technology adoption and internet safety and online privacy
Who should submit a proposal?
- Companies and community-based organizations equipped to improve outcomes for communities impacted by the digital divide
- Organizations that serve communities of color, people with limited English proficiency, seniors, and youth are encouraged to apply
Application timeline
- Questions are due October 19, 2021, at 2 p.m.
- Applications due October 28, 2021, at 2 p.m.
Digital Training RFP materials are posted in the Hennepin County Supplier Portal.
The county awarded 21 Healthy Tree Canopy grants totaling about $404,000. Grant projects will take place in nine cities, on 10 affordable housing properties, at four schools, and through five nonprofit organizations, including congregations and neighborhood associations. More than 1,000 trees will be planted through the grant projects.
The grants will:
- Fund the collection of data through tree inventories, which is critical to increasing and diversifying the tree canopy and starting to respond to emerald ash borer.
- Address the impacts of tree pests and pathogens by improving city forestry capacity and treating or replacing and replanting ash trees that are threatened by emerald ash borer. Grantees are required to plant at least one replacement tree for every ash tree removed.
- Educate residents on the benefits of trees and engage them in tree planting efforts.
- Improve livability and reduce disparities by planting trees in neighborhoods throughout the county experiencing disproportionate amounts of economic, environmental, and health inequities. Most of the grants awarded are within medium and high priority planting areas on the county’s tree planting prioritization map.
- Protect people and increase the county’s resilience to climate change – important goals in the county’s Climate Action Plan – by increasing the benefits that trees provide. These benefits include capturing carbon, reducing air pollution, and taking up stormwater, and providing shade to counteract the urban heat island effect.
Learn about the grants awarded.
For more information, contact trees@hennepin.us.
We have heard and continue to listen to the community’s concerns regarding Cedar Avenue and the Cedar/Edgewater/Nokomis intersection area. Using input from past community engagement and conversations, as well as data and analysis by engineering staff, we are continuing safety improvements along this corridor.
In the last year, the county and city installed enhanced speed signs on Cedar Avenue and temporary delineators to create a center median and bumpouts at Edgewater Boulevard. Moving forward, the county is working with MnDOT and the city to replace the temporary delineators with a permanent raised center median, permanent bumpouts, and upgraded pedestrian curb ramps at Edgewater Boulevard. These improvements will be constructed next year with a MnDOT pavement preservation project (more information here: http://www.dot.state.mn.us/metro/projects/hwy77bloomington-mpls/).
The Minneapolis NAACP Housing Committee has teamed up with Representative Agbaje, North Point, ACER and The Urban League to bring the " Rent Help Pop UP" event.
The purpose of this event is to 1) educate community members on the eviction moratorium phase out 2) assist those who have been impacted by the Eviction Moratorium apply/access rent help 3) Access/Support filling out their MN rent help applications through the Minnesota Housing website.
- The event is FREE
- Walk ins are welcome
- Computers & paper applications will be provided
- Homeownership resource table filled w/ resources
- Light refreshments will be served
Participants are strongly encouraged to pre-register but certainly not required.
MN Rent Help Pop Up Pre-registration : https://forms.gle/NEKyWUeQV6CMFy178
 HUMAN TOLL: A Public History of 35W opens Thursday, September 30, along with a free public reception on Saturday, October 2.
HUMAN TOLL lays bare the truth and consequences of freeway construction in South Minneapolis and is the second in a series of exhibits developed in partnership with the University of Minnesota’s Heritage Studies and Public History graduate program: In 2018, OWNING UP: Racism in Housing explored the history of racial housing discrimination in Minneapolis. Next year, SEPARATE, BUT NOT EQUAL will examine Minneapolis' efforts at school desegregation.
The exhibit runs through October 1, 2022.
Contact us
Angela Conley
Commissioner, 4th District
Binta Kanteh
Policy Director
612-348-5204
Shanese Reed
District Outreach and Scheduler
612-348-3204
|
