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When: Tuesday, April 28th from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
How to join: Tune in at 6 pm to the Facebook Live event through the Ward 8 Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/MinneapolisWard8/.
As we, as a city and a community, are experiencing the unprecedented and devastating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ward 8 Council Member and Vice President Andrea Jenkins will be hosting an opportunity to provide Ward 8 residents, neighborhoods organizations, community organizations, and businesses alike to participate in a virtual town hall to get updates directly from the Ward 8 Council Member and the City of Minneapolis about the City’s response efforts to COVID-19 and to hold space for a discussion about the extension of the Neighborhoods 2020 comment period.
Please join Council Vice President and Ward 8 Council Member Andrea Jenkins for a virtual town hall on Tuesday, April 28th from 6-7:30 pm via Facebook Live. Additionally, we will be joined by Mayor Jacob Frey, Deputy Commissioner of Health Noya Woodrich, and Neighborhood and Community Relations Director David Rubedor.
Program:
6 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
Updates on COVID-19 from Mayor Jacob Frey and the Deputy Commissioner of Health Noya Woodrich.
6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Discussion on Neighborhoods 2020 with Neighborhood and Community Relations Director David Rubedor and Council VP Andrea Jenkins
 The City of Minneapolis will begin taking applications April 22 for the City’s $3 million in Gap Funds for Housing for renters. The online application will open 9 a.m. Wednesday, April 22, and close noon Monday, April 27. Applications will be available in English, Spanish, Hmong, Somali and Oromo.
Apply online or call
Applicants can apply online or call the Tenant Resource Center at 612-302-3180. Callers will need to leave a voicemail message. An intake worker will return the voicemail message within three days.
The Gap Funds for Housing will establish an Emergency Housing Assistance program for citywide emergency rental assistance and open the successful, existing Stable Homes Stable Schools initiative to all Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) elementary schools.
The amount of assistance provided will depend on the individual needs of the household, taking into consideration other resources the household is eligible to receive. In most cases, the maximum amount of assistance will not exceed $1,500 per household, but providers will have the flexibility to provide up to $2,000 under extraordinary circumstances. Eligible expenses include rent payments, utility payments and/or other housing stability related costs.
Payments will be made directly to the rental property owner, utility company or the housing cost payee.
The City has worked with the Tenant Resource Center to establish a broad team of Community Prevention Providers to facilitate the Emergency Housing Assistance program.
Learn more about Minneapolis Gap Funds for Housing.
 Figures presented in the photo were updated at 1 pm on 4/17/2020.
The City of Minneapolis has a new online dashboard tracking the number of confirmed Minneapolis COVID-19 cases.
The dashboard shows the total number of laboratory confirmed Minneapolis COVID-19 cases, how many people needed hospitalization, how many have recovered and how many people have died. It also includes those figures for the entire state of Minnesota. The Minnesota Department of Health is the source of the data.
Note: the Minnesota Department of Health estimates that for every confirmed case in the state, there are 100 more cases.
Find the dashboard at minneapolismn.gov/coronavirus/dashboard.
Applications for the City’s new forgivable $5,000 and $10,000 small business loans are open.
The loans are part of the Minneapolis gap funding package for small businesses, renters and families. Eligible businesses must be located in targeted areas, such as Cultural Districts, Promise Zones, Green Zones or ACP 50 neighborhoods. Applications for the new funds will close at noon Monday, April 20.
Documentation status does not affect eligibility. The City’s new forgivable loan is available to businesses with 20 or fewer employees and/or less than $1 million in revenue. The loans have no-payment and no-interest and are 100 percent forgivable after 12-months if the business continues to operate in Minneapolis and remains in good regulatory standing.
These loans allow eligible businesses to meet immediate working capital needs such as payroll and employee benefits, rent or mortgage payments, accounts payable and payments due to supply chain, and other critical working capital needs. The City will not be looking at credit scores, and no collateral is required.
The application is available here in English, Somali, Spanish and Hmong.
The City is also working to launch a modified 2% loan program as part of the gap funding package. The City’s existing 2% participation loan program for small businesses will be modified to set the interest rate to 0% and expand the eligible expenses to include working capital costs. Eligible businesses and self-employed workers need to have 20 or fewer employees or $1 million or less in annual revenue, and also be able to show a demonstrable impact from the pandemic.
Learn more about Minneapolis gap funding.
 Public Works crews are gearing up to start the City’s comprehensive street sweeping program to clear away what accumulated in the streets over the winter. The City has scheduled Tuesday, April 21, for the first day of sweeping. Beginning Monday, April 20, drivers should watch for temporary “No Parking” signs.
Starting April 21 for approximately four weeks, sweeping crews will take care of more than 1,000 miles of city streets in addition to sweeping alleys. To make sure the crews can do the most complete job possible, temporary “No Parking” signs will be posted at least 24 hours in advance to make sure streets are clear of parked vehicles. Drivers need to do their part in making this successful and follow street sweeping parking rules, or they may have their cars ticketed and towed.
The City is required to do two curb-to-curb sweeps each year. Street sweeping helps keep our neighborhoods clean and livable, helps to reduce intersection flooding and protects our waterways. Residents, workers and visitors have several ways to find out more about street sweeping:
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“No Parking” signs – Crews will post “No Parking” signs at least 24 hours before sweeping any streets. Parking will be banned from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on the day a street is swept. The “No Parking” signs will be removed as soon as possible after a street has been completely swept to allow people to resume parking. Drivers should not park along these streets until these temporary “No Parking” signs are removed.
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Phone calls to residents – In addition to the “No Parking” signs that will be posted the day before sweepers come through, the City will make about 3,500 automated phone calls each evening to let residents know their street will be swept the next day.
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Interactive web tool – People can use a tool on the City’s website to find out when the sweeping crews are coming through their neighborhoods. Go to minneapolismn.gov/publicworks/streetsweeping and click on “street sweeping schedule lookup” to find out which week a street is scheduled to be swept. The weekend before that week, they can revisit the website to find out which day of the week the street is scheduled to be swept.
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Videos – Street sweeping is explained in English, Spanish, Somali and Hmong in short videos at YouTube.com/cityofminneapolis and on City cable channels. Residents who have friends or neighbors who speak these languages are encouraged to share links to the following videos: English, Spanish, Somali, Hmong.
Street sweeping helps reduce pollution in lakes, Mississippi River
Minneapolis is known for its sparkling lakes and waterways, and we want to keep it that way. That’s why protecting and enhancing our environment is one of the City’s top priorities. Street sweeping is one way we work to protect our environment because it keeps leaves, trash and other pollutants from clogging our storm drains and polluting our lakes and the Mississippi River. It also helps keep our neighborhoods clean and livable.
Residents should not push leaves, grass clippings, or anything else into City streets. It’s bad for our lakes and waterways, and it’s against the law. Anything that goes down a storm drain flows directly into our lakes, creeks and river, and decomposing plant material in the water encourages the growth of harmful aquatic plants and algae.
Neighborhood organizations, cultural organizations, nonprofits, businesses, places of worship and faith organizations are invited to apply for grants of up to $15,000 for COVID-19 response activities to take place between May 15, 2020 and December 31, 2020.
Projects can be focused on direct response, support efforts or other byproducts of the pandemic such as food, shelter, health (mental or physical), and safety needs. The intent of the COVID-19 Community Response funds is to support community-led strategies. Applicants are encouraged to propose activities that reflect their own expertise, experience, and knowledge and that focus on the specific issues identified within their areas or communities.
To apply, please review the COVID-19 Community Response Fund request for proposals (RFA) for the application and detailed information.
Submit your application by email to health@minneapolismn.gov by April 24, 2020 at 11:59 p.m.
Local, regional, or state government entities are not eligible for funding under this RFA.
For more information about the City of Minneapolis' COVID-19 response, visit Minneapolismn.gov/coronavirus.
Rescheduled: I-35W overnight closure April 17
The I-35W overnight closure to pour the bridge deck of the new transit station bridge over Lake St. has been rescheduled. From 10 p.m. Friday, April 17 through 9 a.m. Sat, April 18, I-35W will be closed in both directions between Hwy 62 and I-94. Drivers will be detoured to use Hwy 62, Hwy 100 and I-394.
Overnight closure of Lake Street April 19
As Lake St. reconstruction moves into the next stage, an overnight closure of Lake St. is needed for crews to move barrier for the traffic shift. Lake St. will be closed between Blaisdell Ave. and 5th Ave. S from 3 p.m. Sun, April 19 to 5 a.m. Mon, April 20. During the closure drivers will be detoured to use 31st St. Local access to businesses will be available during the closure. When Lake St. opens on Monday morning, all traffic will be shifted to the westbound lanes.
Night work to begin week of April 20 for the I-35W storm water facility project
Overnight crews will be conducting ground excavation and hauling activties as work continues on the new storage tanks along I-35W near 42nd St. Residents should anticipate construction noise, vibration and lights during overnight work. Night work is expected to continue through September.
Stay connected
For real-time travel information anywhere in Minnesota visit 511mn.org or dial 5-1-1.
 To keep community members informed and to continue to advance the project, the project team has updated the project website to include a flyer with answers to frequently asked questions, and recorded and narrated slide show to present the draft conceptual design which can be viewed on the project webpage:
http://www.minneapolismn.gov/cip/futureprojects/grand-ave-s
Please watch the Grand Avenue Reconstruction, Project Update - Video Presentation, which includes information summarizing Public Works’ draft conceptual design. This presentation provides background information, summarizes tradeoffs, highlights technical challenges, and describes the project’s design elements.
If you have questions after watching the video, staff will be holding ‘discussion hours’ during which we will be available by phone to connect with stakeholders one-on-one. You can also send questions via email – please see our contact information below.
Please note that in order to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, the project team is not currently attending in-person meetings per guidelines from the Minnesota Department of Health. The project’s preliminary design timeline has been extended to allow for additional engagement that aligns with social distancing guidance.
Scheduled Discussion Hours:
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Wednesday, April 22; 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
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Thursday, April 23; 12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Contact Information
Dan Edgerton, Transportation Planner
If the phone is busy when you call, please leave a message and staff will return your call as soon as possible.
 The City of Minneapolis is working with community partners to open four new hygiene stations that add access to bathrooms and hand-washing stations for people experiencing homelessness.
The new stations will expand access to hygiene services during a time when the closure of public and private buildings has reduced or eliminated access to restrooms for people experiencing unsheltered homelessness. Each hygiene station will include a port-a-potty, hand-washing station, syringe drop-off container and trash bin. The stations will be open by the end of the week.
New hygiene station locations
- Bryant and Broadway Avenue North.
- All Nations Church, 1515 E. 23rd St.
- Hope Church, 707 10th Ave. S.
- Lake Street/Midtown METRO Light Rail Station.
Providing these services is essential at a time when hand-washing is the primary way to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and access to hand-washing stations is extremely limited. Additionally, people who are experiencing unsheltered homelessness may be at higher risk of moderate to severe COVID-19 symptoms because a lack of housing often contributes to existing health conditions.
Additional collaborative work supporting people experiencing homelessness
- Hennepin County is currently providing alternative accommodations for people experiencing homelessness who are at high risk or suspected of having COVID-19. To date, approximately 277 seniors and medically fragile people have been moved into hotels.
- Hennepin County has also opened its south Minneapolis service center at 2215 E. Lake St. for additional bathroom access. It will be open 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
- The City, Hennepin County and Downtown Improvement District (DID) have partnered to provide handwashing and portable toilets at downtown locations.
- The Salvation Army Harbor Lights Center, DID, MAD DADS, the City and Hennepin County have partnered to open a safe space at Currie Avenue and 10th Street designed to help people experiencing homelessness safely comply with the state’s stay-at-home order.
Learn more about the City’s COVID-19 response: minneapolismn.gov/coronavirus.
 Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) is offering free, weekly food pickup for all children 18 and under at nearly 50 food distribution sites across Minneapolis. Children do not need to be enrolled in MPS to receive food, and families are welcome to take one box per child per week.
Each day, up to 10 different sites across the city offer food pickup from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday-Friday. Food boxes contains five breakfasts and five lunches, including fresh fruits and vegetables and items that families can heat at home.
Find pickup locations and more information here.
Families can also download the Free Meals for Kids mobile app to find their nearest food pickup sites.
 The Federal Small Business Administration (SBA), Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), and the City of Minneapolis have all established relief programs over the past several weeks. These programs are set up to support small businesses, independent contractors and self-employed people, and non-profit organizations.
Here’s an overview of what those are and how to access them:
- The federal SBA Payroll Protection Program (PPP) offers forgivable loans for up to 2.5 months of payroll expenses for business who keep their employees and spend at least 75% of the loan amount on payroll. Businesses can access the PPP through eligible banks.
- The SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) offer long-term loans up-to-$2 million at 3.75% with favorable terms. This program also includes an up-front $10,000 grant against the loan. Businesses should apply directly to the SBA.
- The Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program that covers those who do not qualify for regular Unemployment Insurance benefits, such as independent contractors and self-employed people. The Minnesota Unemployment Insurance office is developing this program now, and instructions are available to begin your application.
- DEED has launched a Minnesota Small Business Emergency Loan program, offering interest-free loans of $2,500-$35,000 for businesses impacted by the Governor’s temporary closure orders (Executive Orders 20-04 and 20-08). These loans can be partially forgiven over time. Businesses should apply through one of the states approved lenders. For small businesses seeking to secure private loans, including those not eligible for the emergency loan program, the state has also created a Loan Guarantee Program to help businesses secure those loans.
- To stay up to date as new information is available
The City of Minneapolis has expanded our Business Technical Assistance Program services to make sure that you have an expert to talk to about your specific situation, and you can contact the City’s Small Business Team at 612-673-2499 or smallbusiness@minneapolismn.gov.
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