In this edition:
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Our thoughts on the harmful Grants Pass v. Johnson ruling
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Join tomorrow’s webinar on the intersection of disability rights and homelessness
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New Housing Stabilization webinar series launches for providers
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Take the Housing Stabilization Services survey by July 12
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Minnesota Housing is hiring
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Wilder research brief shows how people experience homelessness differently across the state
- Crossroads to Justice: Collaborating and Co-Leading with Impacted Communities
The United States Supreme Court’s ruling in Grants Pass v. Johnson is wrong, short-sighted, and harmful. The criminalization of homelessness is not only immoral, but also ineffective. Housing and services end homelessness. Tickets and arrests do not. Further, homelessness disproportionately affects our Native and Black relatives here in Minnesota and this ruling will have an outsized impact on them, making the goal of reducing racial disparities that much more difficult.
The court could have ruled that a government entity cannot punish a person for sleeping on public property when the person has nowhere else to sleep in the city, and that doing so would not prevent state and local governments from placing reasonable limits on the size and location of encampments, or from punishing harmful conduct that may be associated with encampments. Disappointingly, they did not.
The Supreme Court was wrong. We must do right. The State of Minnesota will continue to expand opportunities and resources so people facing homelessness have access to long-term solutions that we know work, including housing that is affordable and linked to supportive services when needed.
Through the coordinated efforts of people with lived experience of homelessness, the Minnesota Interagency Council on Homelessness, and partners across the state, we will keep people first and focus on the critical work of justice. We care about one another in Minnesota and know that we all do better when we all have a place to call home.
Join the next monthly webinar on Wednesday, July 10 from 1 - 2 p.m. If you have any questions about your webinar registration, please email dan.gregory@state.mn.us
Tomorrow’s topic is an overview of how the Olmstead Implementation Office supports the rights of people with disabilities in Minnesota, and the intersection of the Office’s work and homelessness.
The Housing Stabilization Services team at the Department of Human Services invites you to join them for a webinar series beginning in July through October 2024. The purpose of the webinar series is to enhance providers’ effectiveness and deepen their understanding of the Housing Stabilization Services. Through these webinars, providers can stay updated on best practices and policies.
Please register for upcoming webinars you plan to attend by clicking on the links.
Housing Stabilization Services: Housing Focused Person-Centered Plan (DHS-7307) Overview
Housing Stabilization Services: Remote support modifier review
Housing Stabilization Services: Moving Expenses review
The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS), Minnesota Housing, and the Minnesota Interagency Council on Homelessness seek community feedback through a survey. The survey asks questions about the community’s perspective about Housing Stabilization Services.
We will use the information collected through the survey to strengthen supportive housing across the state. We plan to change the Housing Stabilization Services program to better meet people’s needs.
Over the next several months, researchers will contact survey respondents who indicate they want to participate in future community engagement work.
The survey includes the opportunity for people to share:
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The group they represent.
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Their top priorities for this work.
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How they want to participate in this work.
Minnesota Housing is hiring for two key positions supporting housing stability:
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Housing Stability Grants Team Supervisor – apply by July 15. This position manages the Housing Stability Programs Team, providing support and leadership to the Grants Team staff. The Grants Team scope of work includes administering programs across the state to help prevent and end homelessness. This is accomplished by working with and supporting community partners including Tribal Nations, non-profit organizations, Continuums of Care regions, Coordinated Entry systems, and people with lived experience of homelessness. Click here for more information and to apply.
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Bring It Home Program Specialist – apply by July 16. This individual acts as a subject matter expert in the Bring It Home Rental Assistance program, offering guidance and support to internal and external stakeholders. The Bring It Home Program Specialist serves as the primary point of contact for program administrators, ensuring clear and effective communication throughout the project lifecycle. This position plays a key role in fostering collaborative relationships, facilitating project progress and achieving the strategic objectives of the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency. Click here for more information and to apply.
A new issue brief from Wilder Research examines Minnesota Homeless Study interview data to show how people experience homelessness differently across the state. The brief includes five key findings that illuminate people's experiences. Read more and download the brief.
Crossroads to Justice is the strategic plan of the Minnesota Interagency Council on Homelessness, bringing a housing, racial and health justice approach for people facing homelessness in Minnesota to guide the work of state government.
The plan identifies five bold results that will drive significant movement towards housing, racial and health justice. The first result focuses on how we will do the work together:
Council agencies will collaborate and co-lead with impacted communities that have been historically oppressed and excluded such as Black, Brown and people of color, poor/low income, LGBTQIA2S+, people with disabilities, older adults, foreign-born, and people who have faced homelessness and Tribal Nations to implement the action plan on housing, racial and health justice.
Strategy 1: Every council agency commits to working with people with lived experience of homelessness to guide policies, programs and agency direction.
Strategy 2: Ensure equitable funding opportunities for Tribal Nations and communities across the state.
Strategy 3: Provide easy to understand information on programs, funding and decision making to ensure transparency and accountability in state government.
MICH executive director Cathy ten Broeke and Minnesota Housing Commissioner Jennifer Ho discuss the benefits of this approach in a quick video – click here to check it out.
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