Hennepin County won a County Achievement award from the Association of Minnesota Counties for our Single Room Occupancy Housing Strategy.   

In this program model, the county’s HRA purchases properties, which has included motels and hotels, then leases or sells them to experienced property managers to operate the housing. The county provides ongoing financial support to keep the properties affordable to people with extremely low incomes. 

The strategy presents an opportunity to fill a gap in our affordable housing continuum and provide permanent housing to people exiting homelessness who can afford modest rents, while reducing burdens on our homeless response system. It also introduces a data-driven, cost-effective model to “right-size” housing interventions by acknowledging the specific barriers and strengths of a population. 

The Association of Minnesota Counties awarded Hennepin a County Achievement award in recognition of the valuable innovation and success of this housing program.  

Carloyn Wieland of Eden Prairie said the Zero Waste Challenge was “truly life changing for our family. It made us take an in depth look at our consumption and waste habits and equipped us with tools and strategies to become better stewards of the environment.”

Jenny Mikkelson of Minnetonka said the support from county staff made taking steps toward a lower waste lifestyle less overwhelming and obtainable.

“It was a great opportunity to learn as a family, adults and child alike,” adds the Nolan-Eickholt family of Osseo.

Heidi Voss of Bloomington said she was inspired by others in the challenge, and now feels empowered to share what she learned. “I try to demonstrate to my family, friends, and coworkers how to reduce and reuse, and how to incorporate this mindset in every purchase we make.”

Apply to join the challenge

Throughout the six-month challenge, participating households receive personalized coaching and support, attend educational workshops, receive waste reduction tips, get access to supplies and educational materials, and connect with other households striving to live lower waste lifestyles.

The 2023 challenge will run from May 7 through October 14. Interested households should complete the online application by Wednesday, April 26.

Funding is available through the Green Partners grant program to support organizations in educating and motivating residents to become environmental stewards and take environmentally friendly actions.

Grants are available to nonprofit organizations, community groups, youth programs, schools, congregations, early childhood family education programs, and park districts.

Three types of grants are available:

• Environmental action
• Youth environmental education
• Youth green jobs (new!)

Virtual information meetings will be held Thursday, April 13 from 11 a.m. to noon for youth environmental education and youth green jobs grants and Tuesday, April 18 from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. for environmental action grants.

Proposals are being accepted until Thursday, May 11. Learn more about the grants, how to apply, and RSVP to an info meeting.

For more information, contact Patience Caso at patience.caso@hennepin.us or 612-596-6856.

Hennepin County recently awarded seven Good Steward grants totaling $155,000 for projects that will improve water quality, enhance natural resources, and promote environmental stewardship in the community. Learn more about Good Steward grants and projects awarded.

District 3 and Minneapolis highlights:

• Installation of rain gardens and permeable pavement to capture runoff from parking lots, sidewalks, and buildings at the Mayflower Community Congregation in Minneapolis.
• Restoration of degraded and eroding natural areas around Nicollet Island in Minneapolis
• And so much more – read for more information.

Hennepin County’s community forestry program focuses on protecting the county’s tree canopy to increase the benefits that trees provide.

Trees improve air quality by absorbing fine particulate matter and other pollutants, protect water by slowing down and infiltrating stormwater runoff, provide shade, reduce the urban heat island effect, lower stress, and increase property values.

Some of the work county foresters accomplished in 2022 include:

• Planted 1,011 trees and shrubs grown in the county’s gravel bed throughout the county.
• Sold 3,000 seedlings to residents through the spring tree sale.
• Funded 20 Healthy Tree Canopy grants to seven cities, four affordable housing providers, and nine schools and nonprofits.
• Provided over 185 education hours at community volunteer events.
• Planted 138 trees along a section of Brooklyn Boulevard in Brooklyn Center.
• Conducted an inventory of diseased trees within rights-of-way along county roads, flagging 47 trees for removal, and continued to inventory and monitor the 1,483 ash trees on county properties.

Learn more in the 2022 Community forestry annual report (PDF).

Learn how to reduce waste on your next home project and find out about grant funding and other resources available.

As part of the MSP Home Tour, Hennepin County staff will give a Topic Talk presentation at a house that was awarded a Hennepin County deconstruction grant.

The MSP Home Tour is a free self-guided tour of remodeled homes in the Twin Cities being offered Saturday April 29 and Sunday, April 30.

Coming up: Salvage Crawl in May

The presentation will kick off Hennepin County’s upcoming Salvage Crawl taking place throughout May. Stay tuned for more information about the Salvage Crawl in next month’s newsletter!