February 2021 E-NewsCelebrate Black History MonthFebruary 1st marks the kick-off of Black History Month. In light of the onslaught of recent tragedies, from the Capitol insurrection to the murder of George Floyd, there is no better time to reflect on the lessons of the summer uprising and take bolder action to confront white supremacy and anti-Blackness in our neighborhood. |
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EPNI Calendar for February!Monday, February 1st - Community Safety Committee: 6-7PM • via Zoom - Register in advance for this Community Safety Meeting Monday, February 8th - Board of Directors Meeting: 6-7:30PM • via Zoom Thursday, February 18th - Building, Land Use, and Housing (BLUH) Meeting: 6-7:30PM • via Zoom |
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Please join us in welcoming Ellie to EPNI! Ellie Benson joined us at EPNI this January as a Tenant Organizer through HOME Line’s Affordable Housing Preservation VISTA Project. After developing a passion for housing justice in her previous role within the philanthropic sector, Ellie looks forward to strengthening connections within Elliot Park’s renter community to build movement power and safeguard tenant rights. |
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Missed the BLUH meeting? We've got you covered!
PROPOSED CONVERSION OF 700 10th AVE SOUTH Barb Jeanetta, Alliance Housing (AH), presented information on the proposed conversion at 700 10th Avenue South. Excelen, a medical company, currently owns the property. They lease part of the building to HCMC, who will vacate in late December 2021. Excelen’s board concluded that the market for commercial leasing was soft, so they identified AH as a partner to develop affordable housing. AH has provided housing to very low-income residents for over 30 years. AH has a purchase agreement to buy their share of the building; Excelen will retain ownership of the basement level. 700 10th Ave South will contain 55 studio and one-bedroom apartments. These units will house 48 individuals and small households who have experienced homelessness along with seven current AH sleeping room tenants. Rents will be affordable to residents earning $10 to $15 an hour with additional government subsidies available for residents with very low or fixed incomes. Studios will range from 400-450 square feet; one-bedrooms will range from 500-550 square feet. Property Solutions and Services will provide on-site property management services. So far, AH has raised $1.75 million to fund this project: $1 million from Federal Home Loan Bank and $750,000 from Hennepin County. They are currently applying for housing support funding and Section 8. They will likely apply for Veteran's vouchers. In addition, AH will apply for Hennepin County trust fund money, City of Minneapolis trust fund money, and Minnesota Housing infrastructure bonds. Find the recording of the December BLUH meeting here |
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EPNI HOSTS NEIGHBORHOOD SAFETY MEETINGS
The inspirational poem “The Hill We Climb” delivered by Amanda Gordon at the presidential inauguration was not only beautiful and timely, but its message can also be directly applied to our lives here in Elliot Park. Have we not ourselves wondered at some point in the past year, “where can we find light in this never-ending shade?” The underlying theme of this literary gem is that we all need to recognize and respect our differences, reckon with the injustices that mar our shared history, and work collaboratively to overcome the present challenges facing our society. This theme should always guide us as we all continually strive to make a better neighborhood together, where community safety is grounded in collective care and visionary thinking. In that spirit, the EPNI Community Safety Committee seeks your active involvement as we begin to identify and put into motion volunteer-based initiatives that we can accomplish together as a neighborhood. Our next Zoom meeting is on Monday, February 1st at 6:00 PM (please pre-register here). The February 1st agenda builds upon our previous meeting spent collaboratively brainstorming safety issues and possible solutions. The Community Safety Committee intends to strengthen neighborhood relationships while complementing our city-based services that have become strained and inconsistent over the last year. We will seek recommendations to pursue up to three projects, possibly including but not limited to neighborhood watches, block clubs, a Facebook safety group, local crime data collection, and more routine litter and graffiti removal. Projects must have sufficient committed volunteers to be seriously considered. The Committee may consider other projects at a later date based on the outcomes of initial projects. Meanwhile, EPNI has created a designated email for safety issues: [email protected]. We encourage you to contact us with ongoing safety concerns and to alert us after placing any safety-related 311 or 911 calls. WE ARE NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR 311 OR 911. Make that call first—we do not forward messages received. When contacting us, please provide your name, location of issue, and any pertinent details or suggestions you wish to relay, and always in a respectful manner. Our safety email also serves as a crime data collection tool, so please share incident reports with us, including the location, time, date, and a brief description. To learn more about community safety & precautionary suggestions please visit our Public Safety Webpage. |
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Good Grocer, Volunteer-powered Grocery Store The EPNI Food Solutions team learned about "Good Grocer" in 2018 as part of their exploration of market models that may work to bring to the Elliot Park neighborhood. Unfortunately, the store was displaced due to the 35W expansion. However, the store is now opening in a new location in the heart of Eat Street in South Minneapolis. The new grocery store will be about 9,000 square feet, double the size of the former store. With the added space, Good Grocer was able to double the number of products it offers with 8,000 natural and fresh items including a large section of organic produce, artisan cheese, fresh seafood and meat. You may wonder what sets this grocery store apart from others? At the Good Grocer staff is 90% volunteers which helps provide quality food at reduced prices. Those who volunteer 2.5 hours a month get a 20% discount on food. So far, Good Grocer has recruited about 400 volunteers, with a goal of adding several hundred more! Click to learn more about the Good Grocer and/or plan a visit to see the shop for yourself! Interested in what our Food Solutions Team is up to? Check out elliotpark.org/food |
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FREE COVID-19 tests and flu shots, let's all do our part to help stop the spread.
Testing is encouraged and available to everyone, whether or not they have symptoms. Testing is one of the best ways to stop the spread of COVID-19 and help prevent exposing your loved ones to the virus. The COVID-19 test is FREE, and you do not need insurance for the test. If you need medical care but don’t have health insurance, the Minnesota Department of Health offers resources to find low-cost health care or health insurance. Weekday hours: 8 am – 4:30 pm Minneapolis Convention Center, 1301 2nd Ave S, Exhibit Room E | Entrance on west side of building located off 1st Ave. Find FREE curbside parking on 1st Avenue South Weekday hours: 9 am – 7 pm Find information and instructions from the State + the full current list of free COVID-19 tests and flu shots • Native American Community Clinic, 1213 E. Franklin Ave. 2 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays Appointments required: Call 612-872-8086 to schedule an appointment. • Somali Community Resettlement Services, 4020 Minnehaha Ave. S. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays starting Dec. 14 Saliva test. No appointment needed. Somali interpreters available onsite. • Southside Community Health Services, 324 E. 35th St. 2-3 p.m. Mondays through Fridays Appointments required: Call 612-821-3548 to schedule an appointment. You can expect to get your test results in about two-three business days. Same day testing can be done for health care workers, first responders and essential workers. |
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MN Eviction Moratorium Updates On his first day in office, President Biden signed an executive order directing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to extend the federal eviction moratorium through March 2021. The executive order also extends the ban on foreclosures for mortgages backed by the USDA, VA, and HUD and allows homeowners to apply for mortgage forbearance if necessary. While the CDC suspension is less relevant in states like Minnesota with stronger renter protections, the federal suspension currently outlasts Minnesota’s statewide moratorium, which is set to expire on February 12th.
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Property Tax Refunds for Renters and Homeowners With tax season upon us, make sure to apply for a Renter’s Property Tax Refund or Homeowner’s Homestead Credit Refund. If you are a renter household that resides in Minnesota and earned less than $62,960 in 2020, you may be eligible. Homeowner households may be eligible if they earned less than $116,180 or saw a significant increase in property taxes. Please review the Minnesota Department of Revenue’s full eligibility guidelines and instructions for renters and homeowners.
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February E-News
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Cassie Garner
published February E-news in News
2021-02-01 08:15:11 -0600