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Happy New Year, my friends. I feel hopeful these days. Do you? I feel and see light at the end of the tunnel, and I’m meeting it with wide open arms.
Today I was invited to tour some model “tiny homes.” These innovative buildings are designed to house people experiencing homelessness. They hope to be plotted on the land and parking lots around local churches. These homes are thoughtfully designed and very cozy with the intention of creating a “settled” feeling for their inhabitants and in turn, providing a place to begin to create a more stable future. The homes have electricity, but no plumbing. In a word, these tiny homes were great.
During COVID, the need for innovative and affordable housing has become more clear than ever. I’m committed to adding and improving housing options in Saint Paul. No one should be living outside in a Minnesota winter and these tiny homes are one piece of solving the housing the puzzle. It was an inspiring and hopeful tour indeed.
To learn more about the tiny home “Sacred Settlement” project click the hyperlink in this newsletter’s sidebar or the photo below.
 
 The City Council approved an emergency ordinance at its Wednesday meeting to "avoid further harm to such valuable and important establishments in the city." Council President Amy Brendmoen said the move will protect local restaurants from price "gouging."
  On January 20th the city council passed the 2021 Legislative Agenda.
Here are a few highlights:
- The North End Community Center includes construction of a new 25,000 square foot building and enhancements to the existing 5.6-acre park in the St Paul’s North End neighborhood. The project will provide improved access to new state-of-the-art amenities to encourage social and physical activity. These shared spaces include multi-purpose community rooms, a teaching kitchen, youth and teen rooms, a gymnasium, dance room, fitness room, and outdoor courtyard. Park improvements include a new multi-sport artificial turf field, play area, basketball court, and sepak takraw courts. This project will be a regional leader in environmentally responsible design including the use of geothermal energy and solar panels for on-site energy production.
- Over 853 cities in Minnesota, each with their own challenges providing critical services to their residents have a $212 million gap. The City of Saint Paul supports increasing Local Government Aid (LGA) to fully fund municipalities.
- In order to support our homeless and unsheltered response, we support permanent appropriations of $15M to the Emergency Services Program.
- Supporting working families through statewide economic justice legislation: statewide $15 minimum wage and statewide earned sick and safe time.
- Through the city's Community-First Public Safety lens, Saint Paul supports legislative efforts that reduce gun violence through Red Flag laws and background checks, legalization of cannabis, post-conviction relief exceptions, Restore the Vote for felony offenders, re-entry efforts of incarcerated individuals to society with employment and housing, and a statewide policy regarding catalytic converter theft.
- Supporting New Immigrants through Driver's License for All efforts as well as banning private detention centers.
To read the full list use this link: City of Saint Paul Legislative Priorities
Through Right Track young female athletes put together a series of exercise videos that cover warm up and cool down, soccer skills, softball and baseball drills, basketball, volleyball, and football!
Help us celebrate girls in sports and check out the videos!
...Let the globe, if nothing else, say this is true,
that even as we grieved, we grew,
that even as we hurt, we hoped,
that even as we tired, we tried,
that we'll forever be tied together, victorious.
Not because we will never again know defeat,
but because we will never again sow division.
Scripture tells us to envision
that everyone shall sit under their own vine and fig tree
and no one shall make them afraid.
If we're to live up to our own time,
then victory won't lie in the blade.
But in all the bridges we've made,
that is the promise to glade,
the hill we climb...
Despite the chill, we continue to lake lap with residents across the ward! We don our masks and socially distance. We have online community office hours and we are always happy to arrange appointments! Email us at Ward5@stpaul.gov or call us 651-266-8650.
Stay in touch, mask up and be safe!
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