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Early voting has begun in Minnesota and Election Day is on Tuesday, November 8. Join the webinar tomorrow from 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. to hear an overview on voting and Q&A with Melanie Hazelip, Voter Outreach Director in the Office of Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon. If you have any questions about your registration, please email elizabeth.dressel@state.mn.us.
Minnesota allows voters to register on Election Day, so anyone who has not registered yet can still register and vote on Election Day. You can register with the location of where you sleep as your address including a shelter, a friend or family member’s house, or outside. To register on election day the voter will need to have either:
- A document that shows proof of residence; OR
- Have a registered voter from that precinct or shelter staff member accompany them to the polling place to sign an oath confirming the address.
The Minnesota Secretary of State’s Office Election Day Registration FAQ outlines the options for registering on election day. The Minnesota Secretary of State’s Office has information on options for people facing homelessness in this flyer and online.
Voter is staying at a shelter or other residential setting:
- If a voter lives in a residential facility, a staff person can go to the polling place with the voter to confirm the address. This is known as ‘vouching.’
- A staff person can vouch for all eligible voters living in the facility.
- A staff person must prove employment with election officials by:
Voter is staying outdoors:
- If the voter did not register before election day and does not have any documents proving that they live at the specific outdoor location, then the voter would need to bring a registered voter from the precinct with them to the polling place to sign an oath confirming the voter’s address (‘vouching’). One person can vouch for up to eight people.
- Outreach staff are not able to ‘vouch’ for encampment residents. It must be a registered voter from the precinct.
Please call the Secretary of State’s voter hotline – 1-800-600-8683 with any specific questions or concerns. Visit the Minnesota Office of Secretary of State Office website to find more information specific to people experiencing homelessness, locate your polling place, and view your sample ballot.
For a more detailed step-by-step guide and tips to assist clients, the National Alliance to End Homelessness has developed Every One Votes: A Toolkit to Ensure People Experiencing Homelessness Can Exercise Their Right To Vote.
Cases among people experiencing homelessness and the staff who support continues to remain steady. The MDH team continues to monitor cases and our team continues to plan alongside local public health and emergency management on ways to be best prepared to support people experiencing homelessness through any future surges. If you are looking for any information or resources you can find information at https://mich.mn.gov/covid-19 or email Health.R-Congregate@state.mn.us.
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The Department of Human Services' (DHS) Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) continues to have funding available to support rapid responses to COVID-19 outbreaks in overnight or day shelters, drop-in centers, and street outreach programs for people facing homelessness or domestic violence. As of 9/1/22, funding for hazard pay is limited to settings with at least one active case; however, expenses under all other categories do not require any active cases to be eligible. Learn more about eligible uses and how eligible settings can apply at https://mich.mn.gov/shelter-outbreak-funds. Please contact Demetri Vincze at Vincze@state.mn.us with any questions.
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The National Alliance to End Homelessness’ call for presentations open for upcoming conference. To foster increased collaboration and input from partners, the Alliance is accepting proposals for three new presentation formats, Innovation Sessions, Spotlight Sessions, and Transformation Talks, at the upcoming Innovations & Solutions for Ending Unsheltered Homelessness Conference (March 1-3 2023). Proposals will be accepted until October 30, 2022 at 5:00 pm ET. Find all the details on the submission process and submit your proposal on the Alliance’s call for presentations page.
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Hennepin County in partnership with the Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH) have created a Supportive Housing Predevelopment Loan Fund focused on increasing development of supportive housing in Hennepin County by providing early-stage pre-development financing and targeted training and technical assistance. The Hennepin County Supportive Housing Loan Fund will provide up to $100,000 in early-stage predevelopment financing to develop supportive housing focused on target populations. The predevelopment funding is also forgivable if the development does not advance. The goal of the Predevelopment Loan Fund is to create a competitive pipeline of projects for the County’s 2024 Supportive Housing Capital RFP. Funding for services and building operations may also be available separately from the County. For more information on the opportunity, you can visit CSH’s website or email any questions to HennepinPre-Development@csh.org. The application due date is Friday November 11.
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Help us spread the word about a new newsletter for engagement opportunities for people who have faced or are currently facing homelessness. The Minnesota Interagency Council on Homelessness is building a new newsletter list to share opportunities for people who have faced or are currently facing homelessness to share their input, ideas, and expertise. Interested individuals can sign up for the newsletter by filling out this form. We will share a range of opportunities in this newsletter from state agencies and partner organizations and the newsletter will be sent out as opportunities are available. Please email elizabeth.dressel@state.mn.us if you have any questions.
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