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April 5, 2018

In this edition of Minneapolis Promise Zone Updates: Getting to Know Northside Residents' Housing Needs  New Housing Loan Programs in Hawthorne Neighborhood  Minnesota Job Skills Partnership Grant Funding  Check Out Ideas Submitted to Minnesota Housing Task Force  Governor's Housing Task Force and Work Group April Meetings City Releases Draft Comprehensive Plan for Public Comment  Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Fair Housing Act Letter to the Treasury Department on Implementation of Opportunity Zones Sunlighting Our Schools: Student & Community Workshop News, Events and Jobs Promise Zone Preference Points  About the Minneapolis Promise Zone

Getting to Know Northside Residents' Housing Needs The Minneapolis Promise Zone (MPZ) attended the North Housing Fair to share housing information and resources for the residents of North Minneapolis. Majority of Northside residents are renters which often results in housing instability caused by fluctuating rents or tenuous landlord relationships. Residents were asked what do you want to see changed about your housing situation? Answers ranged from more co-op options to mandatory inclusionary zoning, neighborhood investment, and rent control. In addition to getting to know Northside residents, the MPZ connected with other organizations who provide affordable housing, homeownership counseling, advocacy for renters and many more services. Building new relationships with stakeholders allows the MPZ to facilitate partnerships between organizations to increase effective impact on the Northside.

New Housing Loan Programs in Hawthorne Neighborhood

Hawthorne Neighborhood Council is partnering with CEE to launch three new programs for Hawthorne residents. These programs are designed to give future or current homeowners an opportunity to increase the value of their home or even purchase a new home. Whether you are looking to purchase a home or renovate your current home there is a program for you. 

Home Construction Revolving Loan Program:

This is a great program for owners of 1-4 unit properties within the Hawthorne Neighborhood looking to do general home improvement. You can receive up to $15,000 dollars for improvements to the interior or exterior of your property. Projects such as painting, retaining walls, electrical, and HVAC are all eligible as well as many others. Owner-occupied and absentee owners are eligible. Contracts-for-deed are eligible, but the contract-for-deed holder must sign all applicable mortgage documents. 

Emergency Repair Deferred Loan Program: 

This loan is available for owners of 1-4 unit properties within the Hawthorne Neighborhood who need funds for an urgent or dangerous issue with their home. Receive up to $6,000 dollars with a 0% interest rate for repairs to issues that make your home uninhabitable, dangerous to the occupants, or capable of causing severe health problems. Examples of eligible repairs include, but are not limited to, water lines, sewer service, fire hazards, repairs to exterior steps, railings, remaining walls, water seepage into basement, structural problems, or replacement of a furnace or hot water heater. This program is also designed to help remedy code violations. 

Down-Payment and Closing Cost Assistance Deferred Loan Program: 

Are you looking to purchase a home in the Hawthorne Neighborhood? Do you need help with the down-payment or closing cost associated with purchasing the home? With Hawthorne's Down-Payment and Closing Cost Assistance Deferred Loan Program, you can receive up to $5,000 dollars towards those costs. This program is eligible for people purchasing 1-4 unit residential properties located within the geographical boundaries of the Hawthorne Neighborhood. Town homes, condominiums and properties held in a trust are eligible. As long as you live in your home for 10 years, you will not need to repay the loan.  

More Information

Minnesota Job Skills Partnership Grant Funding

The Minnesota Job Skills Partnership (MJSP) Board is soliciting applications for grant funding for new and incumbent worker training programs. MJSP will accept applications for the Partnership and Pathways Programs.

• Request for Proposal

An emailed proposal must be received at DEED by 4:30 p.m., Monday, May 7, 2018 for regular applications. Short Form applications must be submitted by 4:30 p.m., Tuesday, May 29, 2018.

More Information 

Check out Ideas Submitted to Minnesota Housing Task Force Thank you for a great response to the Call for Ideas on housing! The Task Force asked to hear from people across the State about how we can better provide affordable rental options, how we can improve stability for individuals and families in transition, and how we can help more people achieve homeownership.   The nearly 70 ideas submitted are available for your review by following this link.

Governor's Housing Task Force and Work Group April Meetings

Homeownership Work Group Meeting
Mon, April 9, 9:30 a.m. -12:30 p.m. 
400 Wabasha St. N., Saint Paul  

Rental Housing Work Group Meeting 
Mon, April 9, 1-4 p.m. 
400 Wabasha St. N., Saint Paul 

Housing Stability & Opportunity Work Group Meeting 
Thurs, April 12, 9 a.m. -12 p.m. 
400 Wabasha St. N., Saint Paul 

Task Force Meeting #3
Fri, April 20, 9 a.m. -2 p.m. 
Wilder Foundation, 451 Lexington Parkway N., Saint Paul 

Regional Housing Forum in Twin Cities (Golden Valley) 
Thur, April 26, 6-9 p.m. 
Brookview Golden Valley, 316 Brookview Parkway S., Golden Valley 

City Releases Draft Comprehensive Plan for Public Comment A draft of the City’s comprehensive plan is now public and for review. The online plan, called Minneapolis 2040, is a draft framework of interdependent policies, topics, actions steps and maps intended to drive a citywide conversation about how Minneapolis will grow and change over the next two decades so all residents benefit. This is the early stages of developing a final plan to manage Minneapolis’ growth. The goal is to provide a 20-year roadmap to follow so the existing disparities will not deepen and Minneapolis can be a city that works for everyone who lives here. Public comment period Over the coming months, the City will do extensive outreach to residents to hear their concerns and ideas to improve the quality of life in the City. Comments will be collected at public meetings as well as online through July 22, 2018. That feedback will be taken into consideration as City staff revise the plan for City Council consideration. Comments can be made at minneapolis2040.com or shared on Twitter: #Mpls2040 @Mpls2040.

Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Fair Housing Act 

On April 11, 1968, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1968.  Title VIII of the 1968 Act is also known as the Fair Housing Act.  The Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination concerning the sale, rental, and financing of housing.  Initially, the Fair Housing Act prohibited discrimination because of race, color, religion and national origin.  Later, protections from discrimination because of sex, disability and familial status were added.

More Information  

Comment Letter to the Treasury Department on the Implementation of Opportunity Zones

On March 15, Enterprise submitted comments to the Treasury Department on the implementation of Opportunity Zones, a new federal tax incentive created in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. Enterprise's comments urge Treasury to include community development best practices in the rules and regulations around Opportunity Zones and establish a framework that ensures equitable economic growth.

More Information 

Sunlighting Our Schools: Student & Community Workshop The Raising Places project has taken on, for one of its twelve prototypes, the notion our young people deserve the best, most exciting, most welcoming school environment possible. We need the students of North High, the parents and families of North High students, North High graduates, and the entire Northside community to imagine with us, to tell us what North High should look like, inside and out. Invite your parents and family members to attend the workshop as well! IMAGINE IF... North High had windows or skylights in every classroom... The courtyard was glassed in and could be used all year round... The whole outside was planted with gardens, hedges and trees... Entrances into our school were welcoming, grand and architecturally exciting... Directed by Jamil Ford, a North High graduate himself who now works as an architect in our community. With questions or for more information, please e-mail George Roberts at george@homewoodstudios.com. George taught literature and writing at North High from 1970 to 2001.

News

• Mayors highlight priorities on National Service Recognition Day (4/3 - Fox9)
• Sustainable: McKnight aims funding at climate change (4/3 - Finance & Commerce)
• Juxtaposition Arts' demolished north Minneapolis space is all part of its master plan (4/2 - CityPages)
• North Side entrepreneur Houston White has a vision for Webber-Camden hub (4/2 - StarTribune)
• Growth plan for Minneapolis gets skeptical reaction on North Side (3/31 - StarTribune)
• Twin Cities homebuilding gains are held back by shortage of construction workers (3/30 - StarTribune)
• Capri plans will reclaim and expand its presence in North Mpls (3/29 - Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder)
• Frey grilled about adding to police force at tense public-safety forum in North Minneapolis (3/28 -StarTribune)
• Will the fourplex solve Minneapolis' housing problem? (3/23 - Bring me MN the News)
• The Spending Bill's Biggest Winners: Housing and Transit (3/23 - CityLab)
• New CFANS position hopes to diversify student body (3/22 - Minnesota Daily)
• Why Hiring People Out of Prison Will Be Your Next Workforce Strategy (3/1 - Inc.) 

Events

Sunlight Our Schools: Student & Community Workshop 
Tue, April 10, 3-6 p.m. 
North Community High School, 1500 James Avenue N., Minneapolis 

19th Annual SADBOC Government Procurement Fair 
Thur, April 26, 8:30 a.m. -3 p.m. 
Earle Brown Heritage Center, 6155 Earle Brown Dr., Brooklyn Center 

Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America Homeownership Workshop 
April 28, 10:30 a.m. -2:30 p.m. 
River of Life Lutheran Church, 2200 N. Freemont Ave., Minneapolis 

Be the Change 
April 27-28 
West Broadway Business & Area Coalition, 1011 W Broadway Ave., Suite 202, Minneapolis

Redesign for Whole Families Summit 
May 14-15 
Humphrey School of Public Affairs, 301 19th Ave. S., Minneapolis  

Jobs

Bids for Upton, Vincent and 51st Ave. N. Sanitary Sewer Replacement
City of Minneapolis 
More Information  

Rebid for Southwest Green Line LRT Extension 
Metropolitan Council 
More Information 

Bid for Outside Plant Fiber Construction Glenwood Ave. 
Hennepin County 
More Information

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Promise Zone Preference Points

If a discretionary funding opportunity indicates Promise Zone (PZ) preference points are available, please visit http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/promisezone/WCMSP-190631 for additional information on forms and contacts to request preference point certification from the City of Minneapolis Promise Zone. Please submit your preference point request at least two weeks prior to the application deadline for Promise Zone certification approval consideration. 

If a funding opportunity does not indicate PZ preference points, you are still encouraged to contact the Promise Zone Manager, Julianne Leerssen (612-225-7721), about potential partnership opportunities to strengthen your application.

About the Minneapolis Promise Zone

Promise Zones are federally designated, high poverty communities where the federal government partners with local leaders to increase economic activity, improve educational opportunities, and leverage private investment. The Minneapolis Promise Zone (MPZ) plan is a comprehensive, community-driven revitalization strategy that builds on and aligns numerous initiatives to address the persistent unemployment, crime, housing blight, and poor educational outcomes that affect that area.

Contact information: Julianne Leerssen, (612) 225-7721

For more information, please visit www.minneapolismn.gov/promisezone

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For reasonable accommodations, alternative formats, or to add content please contact Jennifer Melin at Jennifer.Melin@minneapolismn.gov or by phone: 612-597-3406. People who are deaf or hard of hearing can use a relay service to call 311 at 612-673-3000. 

TTY users can call 612-673-2157 or 612-673-2626.

Para asistencia 612-673-2700, Yog xav tau kev pab, hu 612-673-2800, Hadii aad Caawimaad u baahantahay 612-673-3500.

"Welcome to North Minneapolis" mural by youth artists from Juxtaposition Arts and TATS CRU