Dear Friends and Neighbors,
This week, the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners approved several important actions including establishing Juneteenth as a paid holiday, the Hennepin County Consortium 2021 Action Plan to be submitted to the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, enter into a Joint Powers Agreement for the construction, operation, maintenance, and use of the North Metro Regional Public Safety Training Facility, and allocating up to $15,000,000 in CARES Act funds to Hennepin Healthcare Systems for eligible COVID-19 related expenses. More details on these actions can be found in this newsletter.
Updates in this week’s newsletter:
✍️ My statement on establishing Juneteenth as a paid holiday: Juneteenth falls on Saturday, June 19, in 2021. Therefore, Hennepin County will observe the previous workday, Friday, June 18, as a paid holiday for employees and close county offices.
🏗 North Metro Regional Public Safety Training Facility: The Hennepin County Board of Commissioners approved a decision to negotiate a Joint Powers Agreement with the City of Maple Grove for the construction, operation, maintenance, and use of an upgraded North Metro Regional Public Safety Training Facility.
🏘 Bloom Lake Flats Groundbreaking: In my capacity as Chair of the Hennepin County Housing and Redevelopment Authority, I joined codevelopers Project for Pride in Living and Clare Housing for the groundbreaking of Bloom Lake Flats.
🏡 Board action aims to improve outcomes for people experiencing homelessness: Hennepin County Board allocated $14.1 million in federal funding to increase resources and supports for residents who are experiencing homelessness.
🏘 2020 Family shelter utilization report: Hennepin County reports on the utilization of the family emergency shelters. The goal of the metrics in the quarterly report is to measure progress towards making homelessness rare, brief, and non-recurring for families in Hennepin County.
📅 Plan ahead for in-person appointments: Requests for marriage and driver’s licenses, as well as state ID services now require in-person appointments.
🏛 Additional Hennepin County Board actions this week
In service,
Chris
✍️ My Statement on Juneteenth as a paid holiday
On Tuesday, county commissioners established Juneteenth as a paid holiday for Hennepin County employees.
Juneteenth falls on Saturday, June 19, in 2021. Therefore, Hennepin County will observe the previous workday, Friday, June 18, as a paid holiday for employees and close county offices.
🏗 North Metro Regional Public Safety Training Facility
The Hennepin County Board of Commissioners approved $8.2 million in funding for the construction, operation, maintenance, and use of an upgraded North Metro Regional Public Safety Training Facility. This investment is critical to helping the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office and other regional law enforcement agencies deliver the type of training that the public considers vital to modern policing on critical topics like de-escalation, crisis intervention, and more. This facility will also play an important part in meeting the public’s expectations for a new vision of public safety.
The approved training facility will provide law enforcement agencies the tools to undertake modern training that are being demanded by the public and will improve public safety for all. This includes a space designed for realistic, scenario-based training that will be used to teach de-escalation techniques and defensive tactics, as well as a virtual simulator room.
🏘 Bloom Lake Flats Groundbreaking
This week, in my capacity as Chair of the Hennepin County Housing and Redevelopment Authority, I joined codevelopers Project for Pride in Living and Clare Housing for the groundbreaking of Bloom Lake Flats. This 42 unit supportive and deeply affordable housing development includes units for people living HIV/AIDS, households below 30% AMI, and those experiencing long-term homelessness.
This project offers an important example of Hennepin County’s future investments in deeply affordable and supportive housing. Among the projects in District 6 that benefit from this kind of investment in deeply affordable and supportive housing are Vista 44 and the Oxford Village in Hopkins.
🏡 Board action aims to improve outcomes for people experiencing homelessness
On April 20, 2021, the Hennepin County Board allocated $14.1 million in federal funding to increase resources and supports for residents who are experiencing homelessness.
In 2020, our community moved 2,165 people from homelessness into permanent housing. This achievement demonstrates that our system and programs work to end homelessness for many people. This action will help our system and programs to better support remaining needs by funding:
- 26 new staff to provide case management
- Flexible direct assistance for housing- and moving-related costs
- Employment skills development and help with job placement and retention
Housing-focused case management
The new case management positions will focus on meeting needs by providing housing-focused case management services to people as they transition from sheltered and unsheltered homelessness into permanent housing.
Employment to support permanent housing
People transitioning to permanent housing need to earn an income that meets basic needs to maintain their housing and achieve self-sufficiency. Access to meaningful employment services with an intentional focus on readiness, skills training and occupational learning will help people find and keep jobs. The federal funds will provide employment services and training for approximately 200 people transitioning to permanent housing with help from contracted providers.
🏘 2020 Family shelter utilization report
Every quarter of the year, Hennepin County reports on the utilization of the family emergency shelters. The report examines three metrics:
- Number of households entering shelter (rare)
- Length of time in shelter (brief)
- Number of households that returned to shelter (non-recurring)
The goal of reporting on these metrics quarterly is to measure progress towards making homelessness rare, brief, and non-recurring for families in Hennepin County.
From 2019 to 2020, the number of households in shelter has decreased by 66% and the number of households that have returned to shelter has decreased by 65%, while the length of stay in an emergency shelter for families has increased by 38%. The decrease of households in family shelters continues a year on year trend that has been seen since 2014.
The addition of diversion services, which problem solve and support families accessing shelter, along with the alignment of housing opportunities through coordinated entry system, and the enhancement of employment services all combined to offer improved outcomes for families.
In 2020, changes associated with the Covid-19 pandemic likely further exacerbated the trend of fewer families accessing shelter. These changes include the declaring of an eviction moratorium, an influx of rental and housing assistance funds, and the concern over the possible spread of Covid-19 in an emergency shelter.
📰 News
County Board approves record $17.1M for affordable housing
By Andrew Wig, Sun Current
“These are really historic investments to match the unprecedented challenges we face with affordable housing,” said District 6 Commissioner Chris LaTondresse, who chairs the Housing and Redevelopment Authority. The board met in its capacity as the Housing and Redevelopment Authority as it approved the funding.
Three hundred sixty of the units being funded will be priced as affordable for renters earning 30% of the area median income. For a four-person household, that would amount to $31,450 annually, according to the county.
“I think this underscores our county’s commitment to deeply affordable housing, and we are just getting started,” said LaTondresse, a Hopkins resident.
Access the full story, here.
Hennepin County Board approves $8.2 million for police training center
By David Chanen, Star Tribune
The 22,000-square-foot facility struggles with capacity and scheduling issues, as it serves more than 20 law enforcement agencies as well as law enforcement students and members of the general public enrolled in hunting safety or permit-to-carry courses, said Hennepin County Sheriff David Hutchinson.
The expansion will give access to agencies across the region to more training space and increased tools that focus on critical topics like de-escalation and crisis intervention, he said.
Access the full story, here.
📅 Plan ahead for in-person appointments
Hennepin County Service Centers are asking the public to plan ahead when scheduling an in-person appointment. Slots are filling up quickly and booking three months in advance as COVID-19 waivers have expired.
Requests for marriage and driver’s licenses, as well as state ID services now require in-person appointments. Due to high demand, service centers are temporarily offering extended hours at some locations for greater flexibility to process driver’s license and state ID requests.
Visit Hennepin County’s website for specific locations and hours. No walk-in services are available.
Online options available for a limited time
- Online applications are being accepted for marriage licenses, which are valid for six months. The deadline to apply is Friday, May 28.
- For a standard driver’s license with no changes to name, address, signature or license number, online renewal is available until Wednesday, June 30.
🏛 Additional Hennepin County Board actions this week
This week the County Board:
- Approved the Hennepin County Consortium 2021 Action Plan to be submitted to the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for the 2021 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program, HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME) Program, and the Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) Program. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requires Hennepin County to adopt a Five-Year Consolidated Plan in order to receive HUD entitlement funds for these programs. A summary of proposed funding by goals of the 2021 Action Plan includes:
- Preserve/create multifamily rental opportunities – $1,472,744
- Preserve/create single family homeownership – $2,257,154
- Create housing opportunities for homeless populations – $250,280
- Support education, outreach and services – $437,639
- Support neighborhood revitalization – $217,500
- Fair housing, Administration, and Community Housing Development Organization operating – $577,138
- Approved allocating up to $15,000,000 in CARES Act funds to Hennepin Healthcare Systems, Inc., for eligible COVID-19 related expenses incurred through 4/30/2021. Under the U.S. Treasury guidance relating to the CARES Act Coronavirus Relief Fund, allowable expenditures include but are not limited to:
Medical expenses such as:- COVID-19-related expenses of public hospitals, clinics, and similar facilities.
- Expenses of establishing temporary public medical facilities and other measures to increase COVID-19 treatment capacity, including related construction costs.
- Costs of providing COVID-19 testing, including serological testing.
- Emergency medical response expenses, including emergency medical transportation, related to COVID-19.
- Expenses for establishing and operating public telemedicine capabilities for COVID-19- related treatment. Public health expenses such as:
- Expenses for acquisition and distribution of medical and protective supplies, including sanitizing products and personal protective equipment, for medical personnel.
- Expenses for disinfection of public areas and other facilities, in response to the COVID-19 public health emergency.
About District 6
The Hennepin County Board of Commissioners consists of one commissioner from each of seven districts. I am proud to represent Deephaven, north Eden Prairie, Edina, Excelsior, Greenwood, Hopkins, Long Lake, Minnetonka, Minnetonka Beach, northern Mound, Orono, Shorewood, Spring Park, Tonka Bay, Wayzata and Woodland.
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Chris LaTondresse
Commissioner
6th District
612-348-7886
Jessica Oaxaca
District Director
612-348-6885
Kyle Olson
Policy Director
612-348-3168