Policy Highlights &
Actions
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Legislative Session Ends
Without Passage of Homelessness Spending
On Monday, May 23rd, the regular legislative session ended without passage of many key bills to spend the $9 billion budget surplus. The Governor and Lt. Governor had proposed a historic $1 billion of investments for housing stability over the next three years. Unfortunately, the House and Senate could not reach agreement on homelessness and housing spending items before the session ended.
The Governor and legislative leaders continue to be in conversation to determine if agreements can be reached and if they will convene a special session. We will continue to provide updates as they are available.
The legislature passed a Health and Human Services policy bill, HF4065, and a mental health spending bill, HF2725, that await the Governor’s action. These bills included a few provisions related to homelessness including:
- Transitional Housing Program timeline extension from 24 to 36 months and revisions in the language stating that 10% of funding can be used for extension beyond 36 months.
- Extension of the Task Force on Shelter to submit the final report in December 2022.
- Last year the legislature passed $1 million in annual funding for shelter capital that did not have direction to the Department of Human Services on how to use the funding. Language was included to dedicate that funding to providers that serve homeless youth under Minnesota statute 256K.45, for grants up to $200,000 to make minor or mechanical repairs or improvements to a facility providing services to homeless youth.
- The mental health spending bill included an additional $2 million annually for the Shelter-Linked Mental Health Grant Program (current base funding for this grant program is $250k/annually).
Info provide by MN Interagency Council on Homelessness (MICH).
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MICAH's 2021 Lifetime Achievement Award |
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Alice Hausman -
2021 MICAH Lifetime Achievement Award
Alice Hausman was first elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 1989, more than 3 decades ago, with major interests in capital investment and bonding. Over those decades, exercising her leadership role on the House finance committee, Rep. Hausman became one of the House’s strongest advocates for bonding and investment in affordable housing.
Even in this moment, in the final week of the 2022 legislature, budget numbers have yet to be allocated, but Rep. Hausman continues to respond personally and positively to messages from affordable housing advocates. She richly deserves MICAH’s Lifetime Achievement Award for her long and tireless work for affordable housing in Minnesota.
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Did you miss our 2021 annual meeting in December? You can see the recording of the online event here. View the Bring America Home Now presentation, learn more about our policy, how we do what we do, and how far we've come over the last year. |
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Anoka Chapter
The Anoka County Chapter continues to reach out to groups and individuals who are involved in housing issues to get a greater understanding of the needs in our community.
At our last meeting, we learned that there are 970 students in the Anoka Hennepin school district that are identified as experiencing homelessness. Most of the students are in a doubled up situation and the rest in a transitional hotel or elsewhere. The district hopes to continue to expand their partnership with the faith community next year.
On May 7th, three families from Family Promise in Anoka County received cars which were donated by Midas in Roseville. They now have reliable transportation to get to work and appointments thanks to the hard work and generosity of the folks at Midas.
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Freedom From the Streets
BBQ in the Park is back!!!
St. Paul - 2nd Saturdays, 12 - 3:00pm
Frogtown Park, 946 W Minnehaha Ave, 55104
Mpls - 4th Saturdays, 12 - 3:00pm
Logan Park, 690 13th Avenue NE, 55413
New Place for FftS!
When the plans are finalized, Freedom from the Streets will house out of Hope Avenue Twin Cities, 1229 Logan Ave. N., on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9 - 3pm. Until then, Junail Freeman-Anderson will be present with Hope Avenue Twin Cities on Tuesdays/Thursdays.
Please pass the word. We hope to see you there!
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Housing For All Chapter
Housing for All is excited to share that families have started to move into Cranberry Ridge in Plymouth!
This development, by Beacon Interfaith Housing Collaborative (Beacon) adds 45 new apartment homes with on-site support services. It features apartments for families who earn less than $52,000 a year for a family of four. Twelve of the homes will be for families who make less than $31,000 a year for a family of four.
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Underground parking, a fitness center, community lounge, and youth and adult program space will be among the amenities offered at the building, located at 18220 Highway 55 in Plymouth.
Interfaith Outreach & Community Partners will provide onsite support services tailored to residents. Through their Neighborhood Program model, families and staff engage in cross-sector systems – education, employment, local government, social services, property management, and mental health – to explore opportunities and address needs identified by residents.
The homes at Cranberry Ridge will allow families to thrive and grow in the community with lots of opportunities for them.
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Minneapolis Community
BLC Route Modification – Sign-On Letter
With several other partners, friends from Blue Line Coalition shout out to Tram at Housing Justice Center! - and as a result of the route modification report and the lukewarm guarantees to protect our community and businesses from negative impacts, we put together a letter/document for our partners and other organizations to sign on and help us meet our demands.
This letter will be used as well to conduct further outreach and build relationships with city council members, commissioners, and other influential people on the blue line extension project.
Tuesday, May 24th, Hope Avenue Twin Cities day shelter for men opens - and will be open Tuesdays/Thursdays from 9 to 3 PM until fall - for showers, lunch, and a clothing closet. In the fall we anticipate going 24/7 and plan to add programming/addiction recovery and laundry.
Hope Avenue Twin Cities is located at 1229 Logan Ave. N. on the first floor of the red brick Church, 1 block from the bus stop on Plymouth.
Please pass the word. We hope to see you there!
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NorthEast Chapter
Washington County is making further steps along the road to permanent emergency housing for single adults.
Several months ago, the County Board authorized spending $6 million in American Rescue Plan funds to buy and renovate a building for use as a shelter. “Plan A” is buying a hotel; the County had been using COVID funds to house homeless people in hotels over the last few years.
The process is slow, but moving forward!
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St. Paul Chapter
On March 17, 2022, the St Paul Chapter of MICAH heard a report from members of the East Side Housing Justice group and the Southeast Community Organization tenant organizer about organizing happening at The Haven of Battle Creek, a 215 unit apartment building on the southeast edge of St. Paul.
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The St. Paul Chapter of MICAH agreed to support the work of East Side Housing Justice at The Haven by attending its first organizing meeting for tenants, held on March 21st. At that meeting, 20 tenants got to know each other better and shared information with one another about problems they were having at The Haven.
We hear that this first tenant organizing meeting appears to have already had one positive effect: the owners are having trouble attracting new tenants, and appear to have lowered some rents as a result.
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South Chapter
Ally Supportive Services is partnered with MICAH and the Trusted Messenger Program, since September 2021, to serve as trusted messengers to provide up-to-date and accurate information on and about COVID-19, testing, vaccinations, and resources.
We seek and serve individuals that are unsheltered, in emergency shelter, formally long term homeless, and all community partners and individuals that collaborate with Ally in serving the unsheltered and previously homeless in Dakota County.
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