The City of Minneapolis has engaged the University of Minnesota's Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA) for the final phase of Neighborhoods 2020. CURA has several decades of experience working with many neighborhood organizations to create strategic initiatives, planning and board development. It also works to benefit historically marginalized communities. CURA will help the Neighborhood and Community Relations Department with these elements of the final phase of Neighborhoods 2020:
- Developing overall program goals and outcomes.
- Developing metrics to measure progress toward goals.
- Developing the Neighborhoods 2020 program guidelines.
- Defining a racial equity analysis of neighborhood association operations and activities.
- Developing a “logic model” for the new neighborhoods program that includes inputs, activities, outputs and outcomes.
- Convening the governance and funding workgroups and include additional stakeholders such as Neighborhood Revitalization Program Policy Board members, Neighborhood and Community Engagement Commission commissioners and neighborhood association members.
- Emphasizing renters and community members who are not currently engaged in neighborhood associations.
- Identifying a budget-neutral structure for the City to best support neighborhood associations.
- Developing accountability measures for exclusionary practices.
Next steps
In the fall of 2019, the Neighborhood and Community Relations Department and CURA will hold meetings for various stakeholders including neighborhood organizations and black and indigenous communities and communities of color to further develop program guidelines, a racial equity analysis and a “logic model” for the new program. These materials will be posted for a 45-day public comment period in late January 2020. The final draft will go to the City Council’s Public Health, Environment, Civil Rights and Engagement Committee in late March with final approval by the City Council in late March or early April 2020.
Find more information on Neighborhoods 2020 and its process here.
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Learn how to reach critical Minneapolis communities in a free series of learning labs about inclusive and effective community engagement. Neighborhood organization staff and volunteers are encouraged to attend. The series can be a good opportunity to meet colleagues and other organizations doing engagement work in Minneapolis as well.
Labs run from 10-11:30 a.m. downtown and 5:30-7 p.m. on the North Side and in Phillips and Cedar Riverside Sep. 11-Nov. 13.
The material covered in these learning labs includes:
- Historical events and how they impact communities today.
- Effective, appropriate modes of communication including names of media outlets, major gathering places, etc.
- Major community events, holidays and festivals.
- You can view the learning lab schedule and register here.
Neighborhood & Community Relations offers these learning labs for City staff and community partners. Email ncr@minneapolismn.gov or call 612-673-3737 if you have questions or need help registering.
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Several board and commission positions are open for appointments this fall. In the past, City boards and commissions have brought forward recommendations that resulted in renter protections, wage theft prevention and a ban on a hazardous chemical in dry cleaning. Board and commission members in the City of Minneapolis help shape key policy decisions, give community-based input into the City’s administration of services and supply valuable insights.
The City seeks applicants with a diversity of backgrounds and experiences representing the demographics of Minneapolis to strengthen the work of the City. Translation and interpreting services are available so all residents can participate.
The positions are open until filled with application review beginning Oct. 18. There are 132 open positions on 19 City boards and commissions:
Appointments to boards and commissions are made twice a year: in the spring and fall.
For more information, call 612-673-2216 or email OpenAppointments@minneapolismn.gov.
The City of Minneapolis is honoring Latino Heritage Month (Sept. 15-Oct. 15) with a series of events and activities for the community and City employees — an opportunity to reaffirm the City’s pledge to be an inclusive and welcoming city for all residents and spotlight the many contributions Latinos have made to Minneapolis. Some of the month's events include:
- A workshop on new wage theft rules at Mercado Central
- A community conversation on Latinos and the census
- Listening session and immigration forum
- First episode of “Somos Minneapolis”
- Latino business showcase and networking
- See the full list at Minneapolismn.gov/latinompls
The City also established a new Futuro Latino Empowerment Commission to advise the mayor, City Council and other City leaders on important issues facing the Latino community on Sept. 13, along with a resolution that commemorates Latino Heritage Month.
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The City Council has approved an ordinance strengthening protections for renters in Minneapolis.
The ordinance will cap security deposits at a maximum of one month’s rent and gives property owners two options for screening potential renters: use inclusive screening criteria outlined in the ordinance or conduct an individualized assessment. The inclusive screening criteria limit consideration of criminal background and rental history – including eviction history – and prohibits use of a credit score.
The effective date for the ordinance is June 1, 2020 except for property owners with 15 dwelling units or fewer. The effective date for those property owners is Dec. 1, 2020. Read more...
On August 8, neighbors, advocates and Park Board representatives gathered to break ground on the new Memorial to Survivors of Sexual Violence. Located on Boom Island in the Saint Anthony West neighborhood, the memorial aims to bring awareness to the prevalence of sexual violence and to let survivors know that the community believes in them.
The Saint Anthony West Neighborhood Organization (STAWNO) is supporting this project with $17,000 of Neighborhood Priority Plan funds. Additional financial support is being provided by neighborhood organizations in Downtown East, Downtown West, Northeast Park, Sheridan and Waite Park. STAWNO board chair Margaret Egan applauded the work leading to the memorial, noting both the importance of this issue and also the site’s healing and peaceful connection with nature and the river.
Learn more about this project at https://www.survivorsmemorial.org/
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You can help keep Minneapolis sidewalks accessible. In this PSA, you can view an interview with Minneapolis resident Rosalind Sampson, a wheelchair user, who explains the importance of following the City’s scooter rules to ensure pedestrian paths remain accessible. When parking a scooter:
- Don't block pedestrian walkways or access
- Park upright using the kickstand
- Park near the curb when possible
- Learn more at minneapolismn.gov/scooters
The City of Minneapolis has released a draft plan to advance the City’s goal of ending traffic deaths and injuries on City streets by 2027. The Minneapolis Vision Zero Action Plan outlines steps for the next three years. The City is taking public comments on the plan through Oct. 16. Read more...
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This August, NCR welcomed two new neighborhood specialists to the team: Aryca Myers and Ethrophic Burnett.
Ethrophic comes to NCR from the Office of Council Member Phillipe Cunningham, where she worked as a senior policy associate.
Before joining the City, Ethrophic did equity and engagement work for Urban Homeworks and the Northside Achievement Zone. She also volunteers for the Hawthorne Neighborhood Council and served as a board member after being recruited by her neighborhood welcoming committee.
One goal Ethrophic has for her new position at NCR is to get to know all of her assigned neighborhoods' directors and staff and to learn and grow together as a team.
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Aryca joins us from Lyndale Neighborhood Association, where she worked for nine years. She served first as the volunteer and fundraising coordinator and then as associate director.
Before becoming involved in neighborhood organizing, Aryca served as director of the Burma Volunteer Program in Thailand, which places volunteers with pro-democracy groups along the Thai-Burmese border.
One goal Aryca has for her new position at NCR is to be a resource for neighborhoods, helping neighborhood organizations build capacity and solve problems according to their individual needs.
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