Meeting with City Council Members about- Heading home Hennepin and Encampments

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> Here's the article (Copyright Star Tribune)
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> Hennepin County hit a historical landmark this spring in its two-decade
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> campaign to help pay for a diverse stock of affordable housing.
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> The county has now helped fund more than 10,000 affordable rental and
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> ownership housing units since 2000, spending $78 million during that time.
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> The county's aid also allowed it to leverage another $1.9 billion from
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> other sources to complete the projects.
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> It would be hard to find a place in the county without an affordable
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> housing complex the county has played a role in developing. The most recent
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> project, the Amber Apartments on Hiawatha Avenue in south Minneapolis,
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> opened in September. RS Eden was awarded $300,000 for the 81-unit project
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> designated for people earning less than 30% to 50% of the area median
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> income.
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> When the county started its Affordable Housing Incentive Fund (AHIF) two
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> decades ago, it consisted of $2 million and leaned hard on matching grants
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> from foundations and other groups. Many of the projects built from Rogers
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> to Edina to Minneapolis include units set aside for people experiencing
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> long-term homelessness.
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> "The fund gives the county a specific voice on what affordable housing will
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> look like," said Julia Welle Ayres, the county's director of housing
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> development and finance. "The fund has been like the little train that
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> could and keeps chugging along."
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> The incentive fund provides financial assistance to municipalities, private
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> and nonprofit housing developers typically in the form of a deferred
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> low-interest loan. Projects include rental, new construction and
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> transitional housing serving families, individuals, seniors and the special
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> needs population, she said.
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> One of the first developments funded by the county was The Lindquist
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> Apartments, a 24-unit complex in north Minneapolis that provides housing
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> and services for youth between 16 and 24 who are experiencing homelessness.
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> In 2014, the 50-unit Bottineau Ridge Apartments was constructed in Maple
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> Grove with a $265,000 county award. Project For Pride in Living received
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> $700,000 to develop Maya Commons in southeast Minneapolis, which
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> incorporated a historic grain elevator as the building lobby.
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> "When we started the fund, there was definitely a shortage of affordable
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> housing for people receiving public assistance," Welle Ayres said. "While
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> most of the projects are in the core cities because of more available
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> financing, we are always looking to fund developments in the suburbs."
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> When approving a project, the county looks beyond just affordability.
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> County officials consider its proximity to transit and jobs, the
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> community's livability and if the project will contribute to neighborhood
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> development, she said.
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> CommonBond Communities worked with the county on a five-story, 120-unit
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> redevelopment project on the former Prince of Peace Lutheran Church site in
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> St. Louis Park. Called Rise on 7, the complex will also have a
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> 6,600-square-foot day care. Besides nearly $1 million from the incentive
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> fund, the county is adding another $1.7 million to ensure that 19 units
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> have rents affordable to households that earn less than 30% of the area
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> median income for 15 years.
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> "We loved working with Hennepin County," said Cecile Bedor, executive vice
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> president of real estate for CommonBond Communities. "They're pretty
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> innovative on how they deploy funds and flexible on project needs. The
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> staff is professional, very supportive and really engaged. If they think a
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> project won't work, they tell you and give clear reasons why."
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> The incentive fund was originally conceived as a public-private partnership
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> to demonstrate if would work.
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> "And the answer is yes, yes and yes," said Anne Mavity, executive director
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> of the Minnesota Housing Partnership, which advocates for affordable
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> housing. "The impact is notable. Their ability to be on the front end of
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> funding these projects gives them a role of influence and can be responsive
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> to local needs."
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> Counties need investments to solve the housing challenges because a place
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> to live is fundamental to a whole community's health, Mavity said. The
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> housing crisis during the pandemic illuminated the continuing issue, she
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> said.
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> Hennepin County has helped subsidize 280 "deeply affordable units" in
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> Minneapolis developed by Alliance Housing Inc., including a $16.3 million
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> project at 3301 Nicollet Av. in Minneapolis that will open next month. It
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> will include 50 studio and 14 single-bedroom apartments, and the property
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> rent levels will provide a housing option for workers earning $10-$15 an
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> hour.
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> "Local funding like Hennepin County's AHIF program is so important in
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> leveraging other funding sources like Minnesota Housing," said Jessie
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> Hendel, executive director of Alliance Housing Inc. "Hennepin County's
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> willingness to commit AHIF funds early in a project's development
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> demonstrates local support, which is an important step in securing other
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> funding sources."
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> The incentive funds are flexible and can be used for construction and
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> related costs, with fewer restrictions than come with some other funding
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> sources, Hendel said. The organization received $700,000 of incentive money
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> for the Nicollet project.
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> *David Chanen* is a reporter covering Hennepin County government and
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> Prince's estate dealings. He previously covered crime, courts and spent two
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> sessions at the Legislature.
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> On Sun, Oct 2, 2022 at 9:00 AM Margaret Hastings <
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> <email obscured>> wrote:
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> Heading Home Hennepin Encampment Response Protocol Draft
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> Purpose of Protocol
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> To establish coordinated and consistent procedures for responding to
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> homeless encampments that recognize the vulnerability and limited options
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> of those experiencing unsheltered homelessness and the risks posed by
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> encampments.
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> Foundational Principles / Statements
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> 1. Everyone experiencing unsheltered homelessness is vulnerable and
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> deserving of being treated with dignity and respect and in accordance with
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> their rights
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> 2. Every effort must be made to connect people to housing, shelter and
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> services but there is not sufficient housing and shelter for everyone
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> experiencing homelessness at present
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> 3. Encampments represent a serious health and safety risk – particularly
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> for those staying within the encampment – and do not represent a dignified
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> form of shelter.
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> Health and safety risks
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> While all encampment pose risks, they do not all pose the same level of
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> risk. Risk factors will be considered in determining the urgency of
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> encampment removal, including but not limited to:
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> • Presence of especially vulnerable people within the encampment
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> (children, youth, women seniors, people with disabilities)
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> • Proximity of the encampment to further vulnerable people in the local
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> community
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> • Dangers posed by physical location (proximity to traffic, unsafe
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> structures)
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> • Environmental hazards (fires, used needles)
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> • Health hazards (disease, infestations)
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> • Extreme weather (precipitation, very high and low temperatures)
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> • Reports of violence, trafficking and other criminal and anti-social
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> behavior
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> • Size and duration, including build-up of trash and waste.
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> Assessing risk and establishing timelines
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> The key parties involved in assessing risk and coordinating a response
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> will be law enforcement, the land- owner and street outreach, informed by
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> direct engagement with those in the encampment.
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> The level of risk present at a site, along with the impact of the
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> encampment on intended use of the site, will dictate the amount of
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> flexibility allowable in responding and the amount of time given before
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> occupants are required to relocate.
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> Law enforcement will act as the central point of contact, coordinate with
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> the other parties and establish the timeline for encampment removal. It is
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> critical that this timeline gives people advance notice whenever possible
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> (where risks do not demand immediate removal) and is clearly and
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> consistently communicated to all parties.
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> If risks increase significantly, expedited removal may be required. There
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> may also be instances where risks are reduced and other factors come to
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> light (an imminent housing placement) that lead to agreement on additional
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> time. Communication with all parties remains key throughout.
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> Service response to encampments
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> The following are the priorities to be addressed by street outreach prior
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> to encampment removal:
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> • Advising on the planned timing of the scheduled removal and
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> implications, seeking translation or other means of communication where
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> required to assist with comprehension
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> • Avoiding loss of ID and other critical documents through digital storage
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> or other means
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> • Checking for referrals to housing and other programs and helping make
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> connections
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> • Connecting to a shelter reservation through the Adult Shelter Connect
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> (there are an average of
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> 80+ beds available for reservation each morning and more opening up
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> through the after-hours
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> service in the evening providing new opportunities to connect people to
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> shelter daily)
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> • Discussing alternatives to shelter (i.e. family, friends) and advising
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> on transport options
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> • Discussing storage needs and options where they exist
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> • Ensuring contact information is up-to-date.
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> Throughout the engagement period, street outreach will advise on harm and
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> risk minimization and connect to appropriate services wherever possible.
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> Additional considerations
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> • Common messaging: using the foundational principles of this document as
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> a starting point, common talking points should be developed and shared with
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> all Heading Home Hennepin stakeholders for use in public discourse around
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> encampments.
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> • Channel for community support: well-meaning support can increase health
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> risks at encampments if not channeled accordingly. During the
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> Hiawatha-Franklin encampment a website was set up to try and channel
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> contributions through the Metropolitan Urban Indian Director (MUID)
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> led-agencies so they were responsive to actual community needs.
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> • Resource development: while increasing the availability of housing and
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> shelter is key, lack of transportation and storage can be barriers to
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> relocation from encampments.
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> This draft document developed by Hennepin County (Office to End
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> Homelessness) with input from City of Minneapolis, Minneapolis Police
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> Department, Minnesota Department of Transport, Downtown Improvement
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> District, American Indian Community Development Corporation, St Stephen’s
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> Human Services, People Inc., and Youthlink.
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> Margaret Hastings
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> Kingfield, Minneapolis
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> About/contact Margaret Hastings:
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> http://forums.e-democracy.org​/p​/14Ef9cAIBLjjfLCZRyJPj7
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>
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> --
>
> Joe Nathan, PhD, Director
>
> Center for School Change
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> <email obscured>
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> 612 309-6571
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> www.centerforschoolchange.org
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> (he, his, him)
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> Joe Nathan
>
> Highland Park, St Paul
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> About/contact Joe Nathan: http://forums.e-democracy.org​/p​/joenathan
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