The Minnesota Interagency Council on Homelessness has contracted with Rainbow Research to support a pool of consultants who will co-lead the implementation of the Crossroads to Justice strategic plan to build new pathways towards housing, racial, and health justice for people experiencing homelessness.
Rainbow Research is hiring 14 people who have experienced homelessness to join the implementation consultant group. The consultant group will represent a range of perspectives including both rural and urban experiences and the experiences of families, individuals, individuals with disabilities, veterans, survivors of domestic violence and young people. Rainbow strongly encourages individuals who are Black, Indigenous, Latinx, a person of color, and/or LGBTQIA2S+ to apply.
Rainbow Research is looking for people who are passionate about helping shape the way the state addresses the root causes and current needs of Minnesotan’s experiencing homelessness. As a consultant, you will have the opportunity to contribute your expertise and insights to guide discussions, meetings, presentations, and written materials, ensuring that the voices of those directly impacted are heard and valued.
 Help us spread the word about this statewide opportunity! You can share the following information:
Applications are due Wednesday, March 13 by 5:00 p.m. Central Time. If you have any questions, you can email recruitment@rainbowresearch.org.
Minnesota’s Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) is the data tool used to facilitate housing referrals and evaluate programs that serve individuals and families experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Through a community-engaged process, Institute for Community Alliances (ICA) and Minnesota’s HMIS Governing Board selected a new software solution that will better meet our communities’ needs today and that will keep pace as those needs evolve.
The software change will happen this summer. To prepare for the change, ICA will temporarily reduce operations. This means ICA will pause activities like user training (with a few exceptions) and the Quarterly Data Quality Monitoring process. What can you do to prepare?
- If your agency uses HMIS, keep entering client data.
- Make sure your agency’s leadership knows about this change. See the transition announcement video for ways you might prepare.
- Plan to set aside time to learn the new software this summer.
Bookmark the software transition page for the most up-to-date information. Also, sign up for the MN HMIS monthly newsletter to have news sent right to your email. Contact ICA’s helpdesk at mnhmis@icalliances.org with questions.
Join the next monthly webinar on April 3 from 1:00- 2:00 p.m. to hear from staff at Institute for Community Alliances to learn more about the HMIS changes. If you have any questions about your webinar registration, please email elizabeth.dressel@state.mn.us.
The beginning 10 minutes of each monthly webinar will be held to hear from the Speakers Bureau. Anyone who has lived experience of homelessness is welcome to sign-up to share through the Speakers Bureau. This is open time each month for lived experience experts to share ideas and feedback with the webinar audience.
The next webinar Speakers Bureau will be on Wednesday, April 3 at 1:00 p.m. There is a monthly prep session held the Tuesday before the webinar. The prep session will be Tuesday, April 2 from 3:00-3:30 p.m. Follow this link to join the prep session. This is an ongoing opportunity that happens each month. Sign up is required. Please email elizabeth.dressel@state.mn.us or call/text Elizabeth at 651-248-5548 to sign up to speak or with any questions.
Child Tax Credit: Beginning with tax year 2023, you may qualify for a Child Tax Credit of $1,750 per qualifying child under age 18, with no limit on the number of children claimed. This is a refundable credit, meaning you can receive a refund even if you do not owe tax. It does not count as income for public benefits. Learn more at the Minnesota Department of Revenue’s Child Tax Credit webpage.
Working Family Credit: The Working Family Credit is available to Minnesotans who earned income, which includes wages, salaries, tips, and self-employment earnings from working during the year. This credit is Minnesota’s counterpart to the federal Earned Income Tax Credit. The maximum Working Family Credit is $350 if your earned income is $8,750 or more, and it can increase by:
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$350 for no qualifying children
- $1,275 for one qualifying child age 18 or older
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$2,450 for two qualifying children age 18 or older
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$2,850 for three or more qualifying children age 18 or older
Learn more at the Minnesota Department of Revenue’s Working Family Credit webpage.
How to claim these credits: For tax years 2022 and earlier, claim the Working Family Credit using Schedule M1WFC, Minnesota Working Family Credit. The Child Tax Credit is not available until tax year 2023. For tax years 2023 and later, claim both the Child and Working Family Tax Credits using Schedule M1CWFC, Minnesota Child and Working Family Credits, available in this filing season.
Both the Child and Working Family Credits are phased out if your income is over $29,500 or $35,000 for Married Filing Jointly. The credit is reduced by 12% of earned income or adjusted gross income, whichever is greater.
Naloxone is a potentially lifesaving drug that can reverse an opioid overdose. It can be administered as an injection or nasal spray. Nasal naloxone is also referred to by its brand name, Narcan®. The 2023 Minnesota Legislative Session mandated and made funding available for the provision of free naloxone for groups in the state, including but not limited to, schools and law enforcement. The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) partnered to pilot an online ordering portal for naloxone in September 2023. Shelter providers and other organizations that serve the unhoused can now use the portal to order nasal Narcan® at no-cost to their organization. This program currently has funding through March 14, 2024. Please place orders before this date. Continued funding is expected, but there may be a brief pause on orders after this date.
To order Naloxone at No-Cost complete the following steps.
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Go to the following page to sign up for a standing Naloxone order: Naloxone Standing Order and Protocol Registration Form.
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Under “Entity Type” select “Organization Serving Unhoused Populations.”
- Provide a shipping address for delivery during regular business hours. The product is shipped via 2-day FedEx. PO Boxes are not a valid shipping address.
- Enter contact information in the event of shipping complications.
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Under Number 13, indicate “Yes” to be reviewed and approved for access to the Naloxone Ordering Portal.
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Complete the rest of the fields and click “Submit.”
All orders are subject to review by MDH staff and may require additional information before approval. Upon approval, Narcan Direct will begin the order fulfillment process. After orders are approved, you will receive a confirmation email summarizing your order. This is not a bill. The State of Minnesota is providing this naloxone at no cost to your organization. Shipping and tracking information will be available via email from Narcan Direct. If you have questions about your shipment, contact Narcan Direct at 844-462-7226 or narcandirect@ebsi.com.
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