 Home built by TC Habitat
 Visitability design home built by TC Habitat
Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity is finishing construction of 7 long-term affordable (LTA) homes in North Minneapolis funded through Minneapolis Homes which on average serves households with incomes of 60% of Area Median Income (AMI) and that are 70% Black, Indigenous, people of color (BIPOC). Habitat and the City worked together to create an LTA model that not only creates affordability for the first purchaser, but does so for future purchasers as well. Habitat is building all these homes to the Department of Energy Zero Energy Ready Homes (ZERH) standard, which ensures they are more efficient and also reduces air-borne pollutants for occupants. ZERH homes are solar ready so an occupant could install solar panels to offset energy costs. These investments in ZERH standards provide for deeper affordability by lowering utility costs for income eligible homeowners.
In 2020, the City began evaluating its service delivery to ensure owner occupied rehabilitation programs are accessible and flexible to maximize homeowner choice and improve the City's efficiencies to serve more households. Key goals identified through the consultant, stakeholder, and community engagement are:
- Focus City services to households with income at or below 80% AMI and link households with income above 80% to other community resources.
- Invest in home repairs that improve livability conditions and stabilize values.
- Simplify process through a universal application, forms, and procedures between Minnesota Housing and City programs.
- Expand use of technology such as Encompass and Salesforce.
- Expand capacity of construction management and contractors.
- Contract with intake centers to assist homeowners in applying for City programs.
- Recycle repayments back into the program to support future loans.
City council approved the program changes in December 2021. Staff are working to launch the new program design in early 2022. Stay tuned for program updates.
Did you know that Minnesota’s health care sector employs 387,500 people? Today, demand for all health care workers – from entry level to highly specialized – is at a record high. Five important reasons for Minneapolis residents to explore a health care career:
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- Immerse in important, fulfilling work: Health Care workers make a difference in the lives of others. Health care employers need the skills and talents of our Minneapolis residents.
- Job openings outnumber candidates: A recent job vacancy surveys identified 40,000 opportunities in 2021.
- High demand trends are predicted to continue well into the future: In Minnesota, another 80,000 health care jobs are projected in the next decade.
- Youth can get started while in high school: Entry-level employment can be a steppingstone to higher level positions. Employers commonly provide flexible schedules for students, to accommodate school and extra-curricular activities.
- Develop valuable skills and climb the career ladder: Many employers offer free on-the-job training, internships, certifications, tuition assistance, and scholarships. Workers can climb the career ladder – and make more money – with these additional training, certifications, and degrees.
Career seekers are invited to take the next step toward a health care job during the Twin Cities Metro Region 14 Days of Healthcare in January.
CONNECT
Visit employers’ virtual booths anytime from January 18 through January 31
Connect any time during this 2-week event from your computer, tablet or phone.
INTERACT
Research employers, share your resume at virtual booths, and apply to openings 24/7. Your search history is automatically saved in your Career Fair Profile Virtual Briefcase.
INTERVIEW
Chat live with healthcare employers on Tuesday, January 18 and Tuesday, January 25, from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.
More information
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Mayor Jacob Frey signed emergency regulation No. 2022-1 reinstating the city-wide mask policy, which requires patrons, employees, and visitors wear a mask in businesses and places of public accommodation. The policy took effect on Thursday, Jan. 6.
“We have to keep our city healthy and moving. Wearing a mask is an obvious next step to do both,” said Frey. “The data is clear. The surging numbers of cases and hospitalizations from the Omicron variant demand immediate action to keep our residents healthy while making every effort to allow schools and businesses to remain safe and open across our Twin Cities.”
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Winter road and sidewalk de-icing salt is a major – and permanent – polluter of local freshwater lakes and streams. Seventy-eight percent of salt applied in the metro area ends up in groundwater or local lakes and rivers.
If de-icer is needed, people should use as little as possible. It’s easy to use too much, but more salt does not mean more melting. Removing snow and ice early and often is the best approach. Shoveling instead of using chemicals will protect our waters.
Pledge to salt wisely
Any residents and businesses can take a pledge on the City of Minneapolis website to salt wisely. A 30-minute course with self-guided readings and videos will teach anyone about the consequences of using too much salt and about how to protect beloved Minnesota waters from this permanent pollution.
Events
WomenVenture Overview
Monday, January 10 | 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Learn about the programs WomenVenture offers at thier free information session. A valuable coupon for WomenVenture's Getting Ready class is provided to every attendee at their Entrepreneurship Information Sessions.
More Information
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WomenVenture Getting Ready
Wednesday, January 12 | 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
The course is designed to walk through the basics of entrepreneurship and how your skills, personality traits, and financial habits align with your business goals.
More Information
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Great Northern Launch Party
Wednesday, January 26 | 6:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Quincy Hall, 1325 Quincy St. NE
Join a “festival eve” winter village outside at Northeast Minneapolis’ Quincy Hall. The evening will offer food by Yia Vang and Gustavo and Kate Romero, complimentary Vikre Distillery specialty cocktails, Fat Tire beer, and warm beverages from Caribou Coffee. Enjoy musical performances by Joe Rainey Sr. and Andrew Broder on the Fat Tire stage, and wander the space to take in projected visual artwork by Juxtaposition Arts students and the world premiere of Daniel Wohl and Máni Sigfússon’s music video drift. Bask in a Cedar & Stone sauna experience (limited availability), tour an Xcel Energy tiny house, and check out Polestar’s electric vehicles.
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New & Expanding Businesses
Food/Beverage
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Service
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In the News
A pair of North Side nonprofits quietly buys Thor-built center in $10M deal
Read in the Star Tribune
Minneapolis Approves Plans to Raze Lake Street Kmart and Reconnect Nicollet Ave
Read in Mpls St. Paul
Chris Montana, Du Nord Craft Spirits Founder/CEO
Read in Twin Cities Business
What's Next for Juxtaposition Arts
Read in Mpls St. Paul
South Minneapolis distillery gets deal with Delta Airlines — but isn't forgetting its roots
Read at KTSP.com
Fhima family plans restaurant complex at Ribnick Furs site in Minneapolis
Read in the Star Tribune
Black Business Spotlight: True Care Moving Service
Read in Minnesota Spokesman Recorder
Deluxe Business Spotlight: Sammy’s Avenue Eatery continues entrepreneurial journey
Read in Minnesota Spokesman Recorder
New Sculpture Coming
Read in the Messenger
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