In this edition:
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Organizational changes at DHS
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MICH is on socials
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Take the Minnesota Disability Inclusion and Choice Survey
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Join tomorrow’s webinar
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Implementation Consultants begin work on Crossroads to Justice plan
As part of the transition around the creation of the new Department of Children, Youth, and Families, the Department of Human Services (DHS) recently announced organizational changes to best align services and programs.
Of most direct impact to the work of preventing and ending homelessness is the separation of the Behavioral Health Administration into its own division and the creation of the Homelessness, Housing, and Support Services Administration, which will allow for greater focus on these two important program areas.
The Homelessness, Housing, and Support Services Administration will be led by Assistant Commissioner Eric Grumdahl and will be responsible for policy and grant-making for all adults and youth experiencing homelessness in Minnesota, and will administer adult income support services. This administration will work closely with the Minnesota Interagency Council on Homelessness and the lived-experience consultants to implement the Crossroads to Justice plan. The Shelter/Housing Programs team from the Office of Economic Opportunity in Children and Family Services Administration will remain in DHS and will report to this new Administration.
If your organization is a grantee through the Office of Economic Opportunity, know that there will be no changes to your current contracts with this office at this time, and your grant manager and point person will stay the same. If you have questions related to your funding, contract, or this transition, please reach out to your grant manager or Andrea Simonett at andrea.simonett@state.mn.us.
The establishment of the Behavioral Health Administration will focus on the increase in behavioral health needs Minnesota has experienced coming out of the pandemic; work with the Central Grants and Contracts team to redesign grant processes; and work with DHS’ Health Care Administration on several new areas of Medicaid waivers and State Plan Amendments that affect behavioral health services.
Keep up with the latest from the Minnesota Interagency Council on Homelessness through our new social media accounts! See how we’re engaging community, get updates on the Crossroads to Justice strategic plan implementation, and discover opportunities and stories from across the state.
We’d love if you (and your organization, if applicable!) would give us a follow and help spread the word:
Do you want to share your input on how to improve inclusion, choice, and integration for disabled Minnesotans? Minnesota’s Olmstead Plan is being rewritten. This is a statewide Plan to create more choices, options, and support for people with disabilities to live in the community. Help the Olmstead Implementation Office choose which areas the next Plan should focus on by taking their survey. The survey is open from June 3 through 30. Click here to learn more.
Join the next monthly webinar tomorrow, Wednesday, June 5 from 1 - 2 p.m. - find the registration link below! If you have any questions about your webinar registration, please email dan.gregory@state.mn.us
Topics for June 5 include:
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An update on the HMIS transition from ICA
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How the Department of Veterans Affairs is implementing funding and policies from the 2023 legislative session to support former service members who face homelessness or housing insecurity
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A recap of the 2024 legislative session
The 14 Implementation Consultants – all people who have faced homelessness – started their work co-leading the implementation of the actions and strategies of the Crossroads to Justice strategic plan in mid-May. Consultants participated in the May 29 Council meeting alongside Lieutenant Governor Flanagan, agency commissioners, MICH staff, and representatives of Minnesota’s Continuums of Care and the Minnesota Tribal Collaborative to Prevent and End Homelessness. Watch the recorded meeting by clicking here.
Each consultant is partnered with multiple agencies to help advance their specific action steps in Crossroads to Justice, and the May 29 Council meeting was a great opportunity to start connecting! Over the next few weeks, consultants will meet with staff teams for deeper orientation to the agency and its role on the Council, and then will dive into co-leading the implementation, monitoring, and refinement of the plan.
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