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In this Issue
Equity. It’s
become a “buzz word” or catch phrase for some, but at the Metropolitan Council,
it is something which we take seriously and are working to incorporate into all
our initiatives and projects across our divisions. Indeed, the idea that all residents
should have access to the same opportunities to succeed is one of the founding promises
of our nation.
That is why
equity is one of the cornerstones of the ThriveMSP 2040 30-year vision for our
region:
“Equity connects all residents to opportunity and
creates viable housing, transportation, and recreation options for people of
all races, ethnicities, incomes, and abilities so that all communities share
the opportunities and challenges of growth and change. For our region to reach
its full economic potential, all of our residents must be able to access
opportunity. Our region is stronger when all people live in communities that
provide them access to opportunities for success, prosperity, and quality of
life.” – ThriveMSP 2040
The Minneapolis-St.
Paul metropolitan area ranks high among the nation’s largest metro areas for
overall income, low unemployment, and sustained economic growth. But it also
ranks high for negative outcomes for people of color. When it comes to equity,
we still have a lot of work to do. (Check out the Metro Stats report Disparities
Unmasked: The Twin Cities Metro, which illustrates that among the country's most populous metro areas, the Twin Cites has the largest - or among the largest - disparities along racial and ethnic lines among our peer metro areas.)
Closing these
disparities is not just the right thing to do, but it will also make the Twin
Cities region stronger and more prosperous. In 2040, if people of color enjoyed
the same socioeconomic status as whites, it would result in 274,000 fewer
residents in poverty and an additional $431.8 billion in personal income. To
build a prosperous region for everyone, we cannot afford to leave out anyone.
This is what promoting equity means to me and the
Met Council as a whole. We are working to use our influence and investments to
build region that provides real choices in where we live, how we travel, and
where we recreate for all residents, across race, ethnicity, economic means,
and ability, in a way that enhances opportunity and economic outcomes for
everyone.
In this newsletter, I’ve highlighted a few of our
efforts at “everyday equity”, including HRA’s Community Choice Voucher program,
Metro Transit’s Better Bus Stops program and Student Pass Program, and the L&H
Station development in our district. Learn more about Equity in
Action: Council programs and services that support
equity in the region.
As
always, if you have any questions for me about an issue you’re facing that
where the Met Council might be helpful, please don’t hesitate to contact me!
Thanks!
Cara
Letofsky
Metropolitan
Council Member for District 8 (Northeast Minneapolis, Southeast Minneapolis,
parts of South Minneapolis, and St. Anthony Village)
The L&H Station
development is located along the Blue Line LRT at Lake Street and Hiawatha. It is a
multi-phase project led by Minneapolis-based BKV Group and Roseville-based
Launch Properties. It was granted the largest LCDA TOD award at more than $1.36 million.
The $18.3 million
development project is located on Lake Street and
Hiawatha Avenue near the Blue Line light rail transit Lake Street and Midtown
Station. The site will include 100,000 square feet of office
space, which will house a Hennepin County Human Services Center and 8,000 square
feet of street-level retail space.
The Council's LCDA Transit Oriented Development (TOD) funding will will be used for stormwater management, utilities and acquiring space to
build 114 units of workforce housing that will be affordable to people making
60 percent to 80 percent of the area median income.
Read more about the L&H Station.
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Qualified low-income residents of the Twin Cities: Ride more for only $1 through the new Transit Assistance Program (TAP).
How the pilot program works
- Household member ages 13-64 – not including college students, seniors or persons with disabilities – are eligible to participate in the test program that will offer discounted transit rides, on any bus (express or non-express) or train at any times of day. For those not eligible, other programs may apply.
- Ride all regional buses and light rail for $1, transfers included.
- On Northstar, your card will deduct $1 for the first $3 of the fare. Additional surcharges will be deducted based on distance.
- You can add value online, at any Go-To Card outlet (including all Cub Food stores) or any rail ticket machine.
NOTE: Discount does not apply on Transit Link or Metro Mobility buses.
This pilot program will run for six months (one card per Certified ID).
Hurry – a limited number of cards are available! Participants receive a new TAP Go-To Card with $5 of ride value. That’s five rides for FREE, so don’t wait to sign up! Those who already have a registered Go-To Card can transfer their balance to a TAP card to take advantage of the discount.
You’ll need to agree to take a pre-pilot and post-pilot survey about your experience and register your Go-To Card against loss or theft (registration is free). To speed up your enrollment process, print out and complete the Go-To Card Registration and pre-pilot survey.
Once you have your card, you can add value online, Go-To Card outlets (including all Cub Foods stores), rail ticket machines or by enrolling in our Auto Refill program.
The Metropolitan Council's Internship Program offers a wide variety of opportunities to qualifying interns. Our program is designed to educate and mentor interns by providing professional on-the-job training and development. Participants of our internship program receive an hourly salary! Most interns work full-time during the summer, and some opportunities continue part-time through the school year.
How is the Metropolitan Council's internship experience like? Click here to find out more.
The Metropolitan Council will have two windows of opportunity to apply:
1st Window: October 24 - November 18
2nd Window: February 1 - March 3
Keep in mind that the opportunities will be different for both windows, we strongly encourage you to apply for both.
The Metropolitan Council's Internship Program offers a comprehensive internship program that provides educational and employment opportunities to students. We'll have a total of 95+ internship opportunities between both windows.
To participate in these Council programs:
- You must have completed at least one year of post-secondary education; and/or have been enrolled in a post-secondary educational program within the last 12 months.
- You must be a citizen or national of the United States; a lawful, permanent resident; or have authorization to work in the United States. (Documentation to verify employment eligibility will be required at the time of employment.)
- You must submit the Council's online employment application at the time the program is open for recruitment. Applicants must have a NeoGov applicant account (registration is free and easy).
To create your account, go to Governmentjobs.com – select "Sign In" and continue with "create account".
 According to a new Council MetroStats research report (pdf), the 1,309 new affordable units represents good progress, made possible by a 2014 infusion of $80 million in Housing Infrastructure Bonds that the Legislature and Governor authorized, and contributions from the Minnesota Housing and other funding partners.
The increase in units, however, is in the context of a record low of new affordable housing units built the previous year—just 775 units in 2014. And, for every 10 new housing units added to the region’s housing supply in 2015, only one was affordable to a household earning 60% of area median income.
In 2015, 92% of affordable units were renter-occupied. More scarce were affordable single-family homes and townhomes.
It's worth noting that the data does not reflect net changes in the number of affordable units across the region— only new or added affordable units. As properties opt out of tax credits or other federal subsidies, or naturally occurring affordable housing costs increase beyond affordability limits, the Twin Cities region still faces a large need of affordable housing across all of its communities.
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Rail~Volution. On Oct. 9-12, I, along with several of my colleagues, attended the Rail~Volution
conference in San Francisco. The annual conference convenes transit and
community development planners from across the country to share best practices
and new approaches to serving our communities with rail transit. Of particular
interest to me at this year’s conference were the workshops and mobile tours
focusing on the issue of gentrification and ensuring housing affordability as
improved transit services arrive in communities. The topic is a timely one. As
the Council continues to work on LRT, BRT, and ABRT transit improvements in the
region, we need to continue to work with communities to make sure the
investment enhances livability, mobility, and access for everyone,and not
displace people.
One Water Workshop. On Oct. 27, I participated in a One Water Council Member workshop where we learned more about the region's history with water and development of the wastewater system. We also conducted a case study review concerning recovering value from waste, nitrates, wastewater reuse and water supply. The workshop was facilitated by the Environmental Services (ES) division at the Met Council.
Sustainability series. On Sunday, Nov. 6, I will be speaking at Nativity Lutheran Church in St. Anthony
Village. The series includes three consecutive Sundays in November focusing on
sustainability and city comprehensive planning. The topic is how equity and sustainability fits within city
comprehensive plans.
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