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FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Carolyn
Marinan, Communications, 612-348-5969
Celebrating National Adoption Month
Annual observance celebrates families
The board designated November as National Adoption Month in Hennepin County. This month, 19 households are creating forever families for 29 Hennepin County children and teens. In Hennepin County, adoptions by relatives and kin continue to increase in percentage, demonstrating the presence and commitment of family networks in the county and across Minnesota. An initiative of the federal Children's Bureau, National Adoption Month raises awareness for the children and young people in foster care nationwide who are waiting for permanent families.
Read more.
Task force to support affordable housing
The board created the Hennepin County Single Room Occupancy Task Force to study ways to cost-effectively create and support housing that is affordable to households with extremely low incomes.
The task force will include 10-15 members with experience in affordable housing design, construction, development, property management, and zoning. They will present recommendations by late 2021 for how the county can facilitate and support development of more deeply affordable housing options.
Read more.
Laptops for people affected by COVID-19
The board approved a measure to allocate $2 million in CARES funding to provide low-cost laptops to youth, adults and seniors who are participating in distance learning, pursuing employment or accessing county services and telehealth options. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought into focus the technology barriers for residents who face multiple, interlocking disparities: education, employment, and income, among others. This action adds capacity to the “Connecting Hennepin” initiative, as we work to eliminate the digital divide. The board had previously approved more than $3.2 million in CARES funding to support this work in 2020:
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$1.5 million to support distance learning initiatives for county-involved youth in June
- $1.0 million for Chromebooks and other low-cost laptops for youth and adults in August
- $700,000 to provide digital literacy training, peripherals and hotspots for adults, and support for individuals receiving devices in September
Read more.
Safety measures for youth sports
The board agreed to allocate $175,000 in CARES funding to support safe participation youth in programs and organized youth sports. Funding will be allocated through an open application process for eligible expenses, including but not limited to facility adaptations, technology, equipment, supplies, and personal protective equipment necessary to safely provide youth programs and organized youth sports during the COVID pandemic, in compliance with public health measures.
Read more.
Current and archival board meetings, agendas and minutes are available at hennepin.us/boardmeetings.
Look for more news on the Hennepin County website at hennepin.us/news.
Discover how we're making a difference in our communities at hennepin.us/stories.
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