Mayor Jacob Frey joined Native American
community leaders, social service providers and other government partners in
announcing an action plan to help people
living in a growing homeless encampment near Hiawatha and Cedar avenues in
south Minneapolis.
The City and its partners are united in
efforts to help connect people living in the encampment with critical resources
and long-term solutions, including stable housing, health care and social
services. Here are key elements of the coalition’s 100-day action plan that
began Aug. 23:
- September: Extensive outreach will continue to
connect people with critical resources. An offsite location will be
established with showers, bathrooms, medical personnel and housing service
providers to serve members of the encampment. At the end of September, the
encampment will close.
- Oct. 1-Dec. 1: The coalition will continue to
provide housing placement and medical support for community members.
Community and government partners will also focus work on long-term
strategies to address housing stability, health concerns and the opioid
epidemic. This includes the continued work of the Mayor’s
Multi-Jurisdictional Task Force on Opioids and the convening of a housing
stability task force.
How to help
The community response to the encampment has
been swift and generous. Leaders within the Native American community are
organizing donation collections. Find out how to help at franklinhiawathacamp.org.
Coalition partners
The City is working alongside public and
private community partners including:
·
Metropolitan Urban Indian Directors (MUID).
·
Minneapolis American Indian Center (MAIC).
·
Natives Against Heroin (NAH).
·
Native American Community Development
Institute (NACDI).
·
American Indian Community Development
Corporation (AICDC).
·
American Indian OIC.
·
Minnesota Indian Women’s Resource Center
(MIWRC).
·
Southside Harm Reduction.
·
Indigenous Peoples Task Force.
·
Minnesota Department of Health.
·
Minnesota Department of Transportation.
·
Hennepin County.
·
Stephen’s Human Services.
·
People Incorporated.
·
Native American Community Clinic (NACC).
·
Indian Health Board (IHB).
·
Community University Health Care Clinic
(CUHCC).
Following the high turnout this primary election, Minneapolis election
officials expect a very busy Election Day. Voters can save time by planning
ahead for the Nov. 6 election.
Are you registered to vote?
While voters can register at the polls, being registered before Election
Day makes voting faster. Voters can check the status of their registrations at vote.minneapolismn.gov/voters/register. Anyone who has moved
to a new address or had a name change since last registering will need to
re-register. Anyone who hasn’t voted in the past four years must also re-register
before voting.
People can preregister online or fill out and
mail in a registration application available at government offices and the elections website. Preregistration ends
21 days before the Nov. 6 election, so applications must be submitted by Oct.
16.
Voters who miss the preregistration deadline can still register at the
polls and vote on Election Day. In Minnesota, individuals may register at the
polls on Election Day by providing one of the forms of identification required by
Minnesota law. They will need to allow extra time at the polls to register. See
the elections website for the list of
identification required to register and vote on Election Day.
Early voting begins Sept. 21
Starting Sept. 21, people can vote early by mail or in person at the
Early Vote Center, 217 S. Third Street. Any voter can vote early; no reason is
needed.
Early in-person voting at the Early Vote Center is convenient. It
especially helps voters who need special accommodations, such as language
support, that the extra time, attention and onsite resources of early in-person
voting afford more readily than the polls might on the day of the election.
People who mail in a filled-out absentee ballot must allow enough time
for delivery; it can take longer than seven days. Absentee ballot applications
are available at vote.minneapolismn.gov/voters/absentee.
 Election judges are needed for the general election, on Nov. 6, to serve
voters in local polling places. Election judges are paid $15.75 per hour for
their service, which includes training. Serving as an election judge provides
an opportunity to learn about the election process and is an important service
to our community. Judges who are fluent in a second language – including
Spanish, Somali, Hmong, Oromo, Lao, Vietnamese, Russian and American Sign
Language – are especially needed to provide additional language support in the
polling place.
Selection and placement of judges is based on qualifications of
applicants and political party balance within the precinct. Preference will be
given to those willing to serve a full day in a precinct with a vacancy.
The Minneapolis Elections & Voter Services Division is responsible
for administering elections in the City of Minneapolis. For information about
registering and voting in Minneapolis or to serve as an election judge,
residents can visit vote.minneapolismn.gov or call 311 or
612-673-3000.
 Photos by Katherina Vang
Thank you for participating in a wonderful event on Aug. 16th to celebrate the reopening of the East 38th Street Bridge! I am filled with joy at the turnout of members of the community who came to enjoy dinner on the bridge and engage in meaningful conversation with neighbors, many of whom they were meeting for the first time.
I want to send a heart-felt thank you to the planning team and volunteers who helped coordinate and make this cross-community event possible. Thank you to our co-hosts and sponsors, including: Bryant Neighborhood Organization (BNO), Center for Performing Arts, Central Area Neighborhood Development Organization (CANDO), Eat for Equity, Kente Circle, Hmong American Farmers Association (HAFA), Kingfield Neighborhood Association (KFNA), Litin Eco, Lyndale Neighborhood Association (LNA), Marnita’s Table, Minnesota Department of Transportation, Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder News, Sabathani Community Center, Seward Community Co-op Friendship Store, Southside Community Health Services, Xcel Energy.
This event marks a process to reinvigorate East 38th Street, and I’m proud to help lead this effort at the City on behalf of the Eighth Ward. Thank you, also, to Ward 8 Staff Sara Lopez and Deebaa Sirdar for their tremendous help in organizing this special event and celebration.
View additional photos of the event, taken by Katherina Vang, here.
|
| 
