Hello friends and neighbors!
Thank you for reading this month’s newsletter. It has been an impactful few weeks with the county board passing the climate action plan, declaring Juneteenth as a county holiday, paving the way for historic investment in affordable housing and helping to fund the North Metro Regional Public Safety Training Facility in Maple Grove. I have also been out in the community visiting vaccination clinics, talking with small business owners about relief funds available, joining the “Step To It” kick off in Plymouth, and meeting with city leaders about challenges facing your specific communities. With the new guidelines released by the CDC and summer just around the corner, I’m looking forward to partnering with community leaders to set up targeted vaccination clinics so that we can responsibly put away our masks!
County Board Passes Climate Action Plan
On May 4th, the Hennepin County Board passed the Climate Action Plan which will move our community forward on our climate goals. We set goals such as goals achieving net zero emissions by 2050, reducing vehicle miles traveled of 20% by 2040, a robust electrical vehicle charging infrastructure, carbon sequestration, and protecting natural resources. You can read our full statement as well as access the plan on my Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/D7Anderson.
Join the Step To It Challenge
Kick-start your exercise routine in May. It’s fun, free, and open to people of all ages and abilities. Learn more at steptoit.org. This month, Commissioner Anderson joined in with the City of Plymouth to help kick off the Step To-it challenge, so let’s get out there.
Federal Government announces Emergency Broadband Benefit Program
The Federal Communications Commission has launched a temporary program to help families and households struggling to afford Internet service during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Emergency Broadband Benefit provides a discount of up to $50 per month toward broadband service for eligible households and up to $75 per month for households on qualifying Tribal lands. Eligible households can also receive a one-time discount of up to $100 to purchase a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet from participating providers.
Eligible households can enroll through a participating broadband provider or directly with the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) using an online or mail in application.
You can learn more about the benefit, including eligibility and enrollment information, by visiting www.fcc.gov/broadbandbenefit, or by calling 833-511-0311.
Sign up for the county’s vaccination registration system
Still looking for a COVID-19 vaccine? You can sign up in Hennepin County’s vaccination registration system. You do not need to be a Hennepin County resident to register.
Once signed up, you will be contacted to schedule an appointment when you meet eligibility guidelines and vaccine supply is available. Registering for Hennepin County’s vaccine program does not make you ineligible to sign up for other vaccine tools, including Minnesota’s Vaccine Connector.
Hennepin County recently announced that 70% of its residents 16+ have completed at least their their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine which is great progress!
Record $17.1 million approved for 27 affordable housing projects
Hennepin County board advances strategy to grow housing options for those with the lowest incomes
On Tuesday, May 11, the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners, acting as the Housing and Redevelopment Authority, approved $17.1 million to support 27 affordable housing projects—the largest amount of funding ever awarded by the board at once to support affordable housing projects. These awards represent more than double the amount of county funding available for affordable housing as recently as 2018.
This historic action will help create or maintain 2,270 units of housing, including 1,550 affordable units, of which 360 will be affordable to households with the lowest incomes earning less than 30% of the Area Median Income, or about $31,450 for a four-person household.
One of the awarded projects included Valor Place, a Veterans Housing project located in Plymouth. With this funding, they will construct a twin home providing 2 units of housing at 50% Area Median Income for two local families
To advance Hennepin County’s strategy to grow housing options for households at the lowest income levels, the HRA is piloting several new tactics, including an annual project-based subsidy and pre-development technical assistance to build a pipeline of supportive housing projects that serve target populations.
Read the full release and learn more about the awards.
About District 7
The 7th District serves the cities of
Champlin, Corcoran, Dayton, Greenfield, Independence, Loretto, Maple Grove, Maple Plain, Medina, Minnetrista, Southern Mound, Rogers,
St. Bonifacius, Hanover, Northwest Plymouth, and Rockford.
Contact us
Kevin Anderson
Commissioner, 7th District
Amy Van Schepen
District Director
612-543-1273
Kristy Janigo
Policy Director
612-596-9040