Hennepin County will be hosting a virtual annual community meeting on July 19 and an in-person outdoor picnic on July 21 for homeless sector stakeholders. The intention of the meetings are to bring together housing and service providers, people who’ve experienced homelessness, advocates, elected officials, and cross-sector partners.
Virtual Event Details:
Brief Overview of the virtual 2022 Homeless Response System Community Meeting:
Opening session
9:00 – 9:25 – A welcome and keynote speeches
- David Hewitt, Hennepin County
- Rico Morales, Hennepin County Lived Experience Advisory Group
- Heading Home Hennepin Executive Board chairs:
- Hennepin County Commissioner Angela Conley
- Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey
Round 1 of Breakout sessions
9:30 – 10:15
Breakout 1: State of homelessness in Hennepin County - Presenters: Lindsay Anderson (Hennepin County), Mark Legler (Hennepin County)
Breakout 2 - Housing Support: Promoting Housing Stability for Individuals with Disabilities and Veterans - Presenters: Lorna Schmidt (Catholic Charities), Shannon Lowe (Catholic Charities)
Breakout 3: Housing is Everybody’s Business: So, where do I start? – Presenters: Amy Stetzle (CSH), Lisa Zakrzewski (Hennepin County), Lynell Tanner (Hennepin County)
Breakout 4: Supportive Housing Roundtable - Presenters: Julia Welle Ayers (Hennepin County), Margaret King (Catholic Charities), Jessie Hendel (Alliance Housing), Mike Goze (American Indian Community Development Corporation)
Round 2 of Breakout sessions
10:15 – 11:00
Breakout 1 - The Coordinated Community Plan to End Youth Homelessness - Presenters: Casey Schleisman (Hennepin County), Molly Dubois (Youthprise) and Youth Action Board member
Breakout 2 - Health & Housing: Designing a Diabetes Wellness Program for People Who Have Experienced Homelessness - Presenters: Dr. Kate Diaz Vickery (Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute) and partners from her research team with lived experience
Breakout 3: Overview of unsheltered homelessness - Presenters Erin Wixsten (Hennepin County), Danielle Werder (Hennepin County)
Click here to download the full meeting agenda.
Homeless response system community picnic
Hennepin County will be hosting a picnic at Veteran's Park in Richfield to unite stakeholders and thank everyone who has contributed to serving people experiencing homelessness in our community over these past two challenging years. We will have light refreshments and games. This is an opportunity to connect with your fellow colleagues and have an afternoon to relax and have some fun.
Event Details:
Minnesotans love visiting lakes and beaches throughout the summer. But keeping an eye on water safety is increasingly important since climate change is expected to increase water-related illnesses. This is because more rain and runoff from agricultural and industrial sites can create conditions for water contamination.
Hennepin County Public Health is helping reduce the risk of waterborne illness (illness caused by contaminated water) by sampling and analyzing the water at 31 public beaches to ensure it’s safe for swimming.
If Hennepin County Public Health determines that a beach is contaminated, they inform the beach owners (e.g., city, camps) that the beach should be closed.
Check out our interactive map on hennepin.us/beaches for updates.
More about beach water testing
Nearly all waterborne illnesses are caused by organisms in untreated human or animal waste, introduced to the water directly or via rainstorm runoff. To measure the risk of illness, beach water samples are collected and analyzed for E. coli bacteria.
When E. coli levels exceed U.S. Environmental Protection Agency guidelines, Hennepin County Public Health recommends beach closure until samples show a level in the acceptable range.
Other tips for staying safe at the beach
- Wait 24 hours to swim after a heavy rainfall
- Shower after being at the beach
- Don't swallow water
- Wash your hands thoroughly before eating and after using the bathroom
- Don't swim if you're sick or have a weakened immune system
- Put tight-fitting rubber or plastic pants on children who wear diapers or aren’t toilet-trained
- Take your children for frequent bathroom breaks
- Don't attract birds to the beach by feeding them
- Pick up your trash
- If you boat, properly dispose of waste
- Even if E. coli levels are normal, keep pets safe by looking out for blue-green algae blooms.
For more information or to report water-related illnesses, contact Hennepin County Public Health at 612-543-5200.
 This week, I attended the grand opening of Bren Road Station Senior Living and Preserve at Shady Oak Apartments Minnetonka. This is an incredibly exciting project that is now complete!
This project specifically includes much-needed, deeply affordable units close to public transit that will benefit seniors and families in our community.
By Mary Lynn Smith, Star Tribune
Hennepin County this year tallied the fewest number of people experiencing homelessness since the federal survey began in 2005, according to the county's recently released annual national homeless census.
County officials hope the decrease in the one-day count — a barometer that tracks trends in homeless numbers — isn't a one-time blip, but rather a sign that initiatives to move homeless people into permanent housing are working.
The county is adding more low-rent housing options and connecting homeless people with employment and training services. And it has dramatically expanded its team of social workers, who are using a so-called "by-name list" approach to put more homeless people into housing — a method proven to be successful in reducing homelessness among veterans across the state.
Access the full story here.
Mankato Free Press
A success story in Hennepin County in reducing homelessness is worth sharing as groups across the state put effort into solving the vexing longtime problem.
The solutions were not complicated for the county, which has reduced its daily homeless count from 3,731 in 2014 to 2,678 in January, the lowest count in 17 years, according to a report in the Star Tribune.
In 2006, the county and the city of Minneapolis made a commitment of $45 million to the project called “Heading Home Hennepin.” But the county also used $91 million of its $245 million of pandemic aid for housing and homeless programs. It increased its housing and homeless budget by 11% since 2019.
Some 35 social workers are designated to meet individually with homeless people and help them set up temporary housing, employment and health care. That’s a dramatic increase in staffing.
Access the full story here.
In 2019, six suburban cities partnered with Hennepin County for a new response to mental health emergency calls—embedding social workers in their police departments. This collaboration allows for a tailored assessment and response to people having contact with the police because of mental health and substance use issues.
In 2022, we have expanded this work to 22 social workers across 23 police departments, 911 dispatch, and group homes, serving 35 cities across Hennepin County. There are a total of five embedded social workers in District 6. Eden Prairie Police Department is a part of this most recent expansion. Their referrals to their Embedded Social Worker nearly doubled from quarter one (54) to quarter two (114).
Eden Prairie Police Department's Embedded Social Worker Molly Mitley said, “I have been able to help build community connections, respond to crisis situations, and offer culturally informed and specialized resources to people in Eden Prairie. I have worked to help connect people to their existing supports as well as assist to find ongoing supports to mitigate safety and wellness concerns. People tend to call 911/police for many different reasons and at times police may not be the most useful resource. They may initially be able to assess for safety, and then I am able to offer further supports to address the issue. I am able to work collaboratively with officers and this frees them up for more pressing matters to continue to keep our community safe."
Eden Prairie Police Department Police Chief Matt Sackett said, “Molly makes a direct personal connection with individuals and families to assist them with challenges they face and connecting them with services they may not have been aware of that can assist them with long-term help. In her short time here, Molly has built quality relationships with individuals and families who now work with her directly rather than calling 911 when they need the kind of assistance a social worker can provide. With the addition of Molly, we are now able to offer even more support to our residents in need.”
The Hennepin County Board of Commissioners consists of one commissioner from each of seven districts. I am proud to represent Deephaven, north Eden Prairie, Edina, Excelsior, Greenwood, Hopkins, Long Lake, Minnetonka, Minnetonka Beach, northern Mound, Orono, Shorewood, Spring Park, Tonka Bay, Wayzata and Woodland.
|
Chris LaTondresse
Commissioner
6th District
612-348-7886
Jessica Oaxaca
District Director
612-348-6885
Kyle Olson
Policy Director
612-348-3168
|
