Dearest Community,
As you know, the encampment at Powerderhorn Park and the 100 other encampments across our district, are expanding.
While Hennepin County has spent millions to provide services and operate hotels to accommodate people experiencing unsheltered homelessness, we know that we have little room to do more without significant help. Together, with the City of Minneapolis and the Minneapolis Park Board, we coordinated a specific ask to our Lt. Governor to meet the immediate needs of people in Powderhorn Park and in other areas of our city.
Here is the list of joint initiatives the City/County/Park Board are working on that would benefit greatly from state resources:
- Funding for AVIVO and other outreach staff to do outreach at encampments to connect people to shelter and housing
- Response to the City/County join request to the SEOC for staffing support, either re-assigning state workers as the County has done, or new staff for hotels and shelters
- Capital and operating support for emergency shelter: dormitories at the State Fair Grounds, the quarantine housing location identified by SEOC or other new shelter locations including but not limited to hotels
- Finance the purchase of hotels using CARES Act dollars or bonding across the state and region, a long-term investment in shelter and housing that would supplement this strategy that the City and County are jointly pursuing
- Support for longer term shelter needs for culturally appropriate shelter and proposed medical respite shelter
- Funding for incidental expenses at encampments (mostly by Park Board): bathrooms, handwashing stations, showers, medical services and security
In wellness,
Contact us
Angela Conley
Commissioner, 4th District
Cacje Henderson
Policy Director
612-348-5204
Shanese Reed
District Outreach and Scheduler
612-348-3204
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