December Newsletter from Hennepin County Commissioner Kevin Anderson

Hennepin County, Minnesota sent this bulletin at 12/23/2024 09:27 PM CST

December 2024

2024 Year in Review

Hennepin County has accomplished some fantastic things this year. Here are some of the highlights:

Overview

The board voted on more than 500 resolutions, and we also held 6 board briefings and 10 budget hearings. None of this would have been possible without our amazing county staff’s hard work and dedication

2024 Legislative Session

This year’s Legislative Session was very short, and a lot of legislation was passed last minute. Kudos to our Intergovernmental Relations team for their support and success in Housing, Transportation & Infrastructure, and a number of other areas.

In housing for example, additional funding from the state was allocated for emergency rental assistance and the development of affordable housing, specifically affordable family housing. The legislature also passed legislation that strengthened tenant’s rights across the state.

And in Energy and Environment, the state passed the packaging Waste and Cost Reduction Act, which is a key piece of legislation for Hennepin County to reach our Zero Waste Goals. They also dedicated roughly $12 million for community forestry and tree plants grants to address emerald ash borer damage to our tree canopies.

Effectively Ending Veteran Homelessness in Hennepin County

One of this year's most incredible accomplishments is that in October, the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH), Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) certified that Hennepin County is meeting their benchmarks for effectively ending homelessness among veterans in Hennepin County.

Effectively ending veteran homelessness does not mean veterans do not experience homelessness, but when veterans do experience homelessness, our system is prepared to quickly respond and move people back into permanent housing in less than 90 days on average.

I want to give a huge shoutout to our Hennepin County staff and our partners who made this achievement possible.

Elevate Hennepin Program

In the economic development and business support, the Elevate Hennepin program is having a meaningful impact. Our dedicated county staff and advisors have served over 3100 businesses, facilitated more than $31 million in capital, and supported the launch of 203 new businesses.

Over 70% of the new businesses were launched by entrepreneurs of color and over 60% by women, demonstrating our impact toward closing gaps in business ownership.

Grant Funding

In 2024, Hennepin County awarded more than $25 million dollars in total grant awards, to community organizations, non-profits, and local government units.

These grant awards included funding for affordable housing development, playgrounds and play spaces, sports facilities and equipment, youth arts and arts and music programming, business district development, environment improvement and protection, tree canopies, Zero Waste initiatives, natural resource protection, and much more.

As we look forward to 2025, I hope you have a wonderful holiday season. I am excited to work on your behalf for yet another incredible year.

Hennepin County Community Advisory Board applications closing soon!

The Hennepin County Board is recruiting volunteers for 43 advisory and watershed district board positions.

Every year, the board accepts applications from residents interested in volunteer service positions on advisory boards, commissions, councils and special task forces. Board members will advise commissioners and help set policy on a variety of topics important to the county.

Community advisory board openings:

Adult Mental Health Local Advisory Council
County Extension Committee, U of M Extension
Human Resources Board
Library Board
Racial Equity Advisory Council
Special Board of Appeal and Equalization
Three Rivers Park District Board of Commissioners
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Board

Watershed board openings:

Minnehaha Creek Watershed District

Application process

Now through December 31 – apply at us/advisoryboards.
Starting January 2025 – the county board will conduct interviews.
First quarter of 2025 – the county board will appoint volunteers to the positions.

You may be eligible for MinnesotaCare

You may now be eligible for MinnesotaCare. Your immigration status does not matter. You may qualify even if you are undocumented.

It’s a good idea to have health insurance because you and your family can save money on medical bills. You should apply if you:

Live in Minnesota.
Don’t have other health insurance options.
Meet income limits.

Apply for MinnesotaCare

Find a MNsure Navigator for help on your MinnesotaCare application

Share your voice and help shape local government policies

Become a member of the Active Transportation Committee

Hennepin County is seeking members for its Active Transportation Committee (ATC) (formerly the Bicycle Advisory Committee) in Districts 1, 2 and 3 to serve a three-year term starting in 2025.

When you join the ATC, you will:

Share and apply your experience and knowledge of biking, walking and rolling in your community to transportation projects as they are planned
Advise county commissioners and staff on matters relating to biking, walking and rolling
Contribute to the growth and enhancement of a nationally recognized biking system
Advance transportation options for a more inclusive, all-abilities transportation network
Advocate for multimodal improvements to help the county reach its Climate Action Plan goal to reduce the number of vehicle trips

You don’t need to be an expert in all things bicycling, walking and rolling but you must:

Be a resident of the commissioner’s district for which you are applying to represent (check https://www.hennepin.us/your-government/leadership/find-commissioner for your district)
Have an interest in promoting the use of biking, walking and rolling for transportation and recreation
Make a commitment to attend monthly meetings (4 to 6 p.m. every third Monday) and participate in discussions

More details are in the Active Transportation Committee application [link to application]. You also can contact Jordan Kocak, Pedestrian and Bicycle Coordinator, at jordan.kocak@hennepin.us or 612-543-3377.

Applications due no later than January 3. Learn more about the committee and apply online at: Active Transportation Committee | Hennepin County

Hennepin County’s affordable housing impact

This year was a big year for county-supported affordable housing projects. Here are some highlights on our progress toward making stable, affordable housing possible for all in Hennepin County:

We are bringing projects online at record pace: The county helped close 13 affordable rental housing development projects, which represents 1,004 affordable units.
We are a primary funder for the affordable housing development pipeline in Hennepin County: We awarded $19.5 million in capital funding to create or preserve affordable housing
- Funding will support 23 projects with 1,493 affordable rental units, and 10 projects to create 69 affordable homeownership opportunities
- 38% of new rental units will be affordable to households at or below 30% AMI
We are stabilizing homes, homeownership, and neighborhoods: The Healthy Homes team improved 236 homes through health and safety repairs.
We are removing barriers to homeownership: We launched our Homebuyer Assistance Program with Neighborworks Home Partners. So far, our program has helped 62 families purchase their first home. 48% of our homebuyers were Black, Indigenous, and People of Color.
We are responding to crises in real-time to ensure a healthy affordable housing ecosystem for the long-term: The county awarded funding to nine nonprofits through the one-time Repair + Grow program, which will help restore and boost their capacity to develop more affordable housing. Totaling $17.3 million, the awards are funded through the Local Affordable Housing Aid (LAHA) revenues. Here are a few quotes about the program from our nonprofit affordable housing partners:

"There is still so much critical work to do. As you know, our sector faces challenging headwinds. But actions like this go a long way to moving all of us onto firmer ground to advance this work.”

"Hennepin County's leadership in rightly diagnosing and meeting the moment is on full display through the Repair + Grow program. This builds on an already strong foundation of regional, state and national housing leadership."

For more updates throughout the year, visit our housing website and subscribe to our newsletter.

CEO Now program offers strategy, hope for Copperwing Distillery

Kyle Kettering, the owner of Copperwing Distillery, started the distilling business as an experiment with friends to see if they could make great whiskey. He said he’s proud of the product, but as the operator of the business behind the whiskey, he was overwhelmed with all the duties of running a small business.

At one point, Kyle was unsure if Copperwing Distillery could continue operating. He began looking online for resources and discovered the CEO Now program through Elevate Hennepin via his city, St. Louis Park.

The group-learning opportunity was designed to guide established, growth-minded business owners like Kyle as they develop tools and tactics that would foster stability and growth. He joined a group of peer business owners and founders for seven months for an intensive training. With peers, a nationally renown curriculum, and local experts, he developed a strategic plan to move forward.

Watch his story and learn more about CEO Now.

Become a Community Recycling Ambassador

If you are looking for ways to volunteer in your community, consider becoming a Hennepin County Community Recycling Ambassador!

Community Recycling Ambassadors are trained on waste prevention, recycling and composting, and effective communication skills through a six-week course, with one class each week, taught by industry experts and community leaders. This training program is free to participants.

Once training is complete, participants commit to 30 hours of volunteering putting their skills to work on projects and activities that minimize waste and provide waste reduction, recycling and composting education.

Apply for the spring 2025 class

The spring 2025 class will be held every Thursday from February 20 through March 27 from 6 to 8 p.m. The class will take place virtually via Zoom.

The application for the spring class will open on Thursday, January 23 and close on Thursday, February 6.

Before applying, please ensure that you meet the following requirements:

You are 18 years of age or older
You live, work, or go to school within Hennepin County
You are available for all six class sessions
You can commit to 30 hours of volunteering after the class completes
You have access to internet and a computer or similar device to attend class virtually

Visit the website to learn more about the program and apply.