March 2021 E-News

Join the EPNI Board of Directors!

EPNI is governed by a 15-member Board of Directors composed of at least 60% residents and no more than 40% organizations/businesses.  The Board of Directors establishes the identity and direction of the organization, ensures necessary resources, and provides oversight.  Each year, one-third (5) of the Board seats are up for election.

EPNI is seeking applicants for the 2021 Board of Directors elections which will be held in may. If you are interested in serving on the EPNI Board of Directors, visit https://www.elliotpark.org/board or call the EPNI office to learn more.

EPNI Calendar for March

Early Mornings with Elliot Park Neighborhood

Early Mornings with Elliot Park is back! We're excited to be continuing our monthly virtual discussions in 2021. For this March's conversation, we'll be exploring what makes Elliot Park home by sharing stories, tapping into resources around the community, and taking a deeper dive into the roots of Elliot Park. Grab yourself a hot drink and join us bright and early for a fun conversation about Elliot Park!

Join us, Tuesday, March 23rd, 7:30-8:30am. Register for this event on Zoom: Early Mornings

Missed the BLUH meeting? We've got you covered!

Join us for the next BLUH meeting on Thursday, March 18th at 6 PM.

At the February Building, Land Use, and Housing (BLUH) meeting, we discussed proposed changes to House of Charity's 510 8th Street building and landscape plans for 35W project. You can find a recording of the meeting here: https://fb.watch/3LDJMDL7G0/

Proposed changes to 510 S 8th St Building & House of Charity/St Stephen’s Merger

St Stephens and House of Charity have recently merged. Michael Huffman, St Stephen's, shared a proposal to temporarily (no more than 5 years) add a shelter component to the building at 510 S 8th Street in addition to the existing permanent housing. With this change, the number of those being housed onsite will see an addition of 16 beds (maximum total of 135) The length of stay is expected to be similar to their current average stay of six months.

As part of this transition, a dining hall will be added to the 510 building, with food catered from the food center. This would eliminate the need for residents at 510 to walk to the food center three times a day for food. Additional space designed specifically for shelter guests will also be developed into the space.

This interim use space is needed to ensure bed capacity is maintained as they work to replace our current shelter space.  Currently, they are working to develop our new shelter and housing project.  Soon, they will submit an Interim Use Permit application and Shelter License to the City of Minneapolis.  The Interim Use Permit will follow normal committee and city council process. The Shelter License does not go through City Council process.

See project summary here.
 
The group approved sending a letter of support for House of Charity/St Stephen's application for an Interim Use Permit and Shelter License to the City of Minneapolis. The motion will be forwarded to the EPNI Board of Directors for consideration.
 
MnDOT Landscaping Project
Potential plantings for the area disrupted by the 35W project was discussed. See recording for details.

EPNI HOSTS NEIGHBORHOOD SAFETY MEETINGS

The Community Safety Committee meeting is moving to the last Tuesday of the month. 

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 Tuesday, March 30th at 6:00 PM (please pre-register here).   

The Community Safety Committee seeks to strengthen neighborhood relationships while complementing our city-based services that have become strained and inconsistent over the last year.  The committee is currently considering establishing a network of volunteer block clubs within Elliot Park to better communicate alerts, awareness, and pertinent safety information for all our residents on a timelier basis, such as by using a social media platform.  We will be discussing the block club project at our next meeting and welcome your input and willingness to get involved by contacting us through our designated safety email.   

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.

Downtown  Minneapolis Trial Information

The Chauvin trial begins on March 8th at the Hennepin County Courthouse on 6th Street in downtown. City leaders provided an update on preparedness ahead of the trial. Jury selection could run through March 26, 2021. Opening statements and the commencement of the State’s case will begin no earlier than March 29, 2021. Three other former Minneapolis police officers will be tried together, in a separate trial, beginning Aug. 23, 2021.

The City of Minneapolis has committed to keeping the city, including neighborhood organizations, informed. Ongoing press conferences are planned and will be live streamed to the City's Facebook page. We will continue to share information through our social media and e-news as it becomes available. In the meantime, the Minneapolis Downtown Council has information available regarding the trial timeline, street closures, etc. Visit their site to see frequently asked questions and resources. 

You are also encouraged to follow the official Operation Safety Net social media channels for additional timely and accurate information. Here are the handles to follow: Facebook  |  Instagram  |  Twitter 

Minneapolis and State of Minnesota Offer New Vaccination Web Tools

The City of Minneapolis has developed a new web tool to help residents find information in multiple languages on the current status of the vaccination rollout, what to expect when getting the vaccine, and the safety of getting a vaccine.

People should also check back for more web functions yet to be added, which could include a mapping tool to find vaccination locations and an interactive quiz to find out if they are eligible.

Find the City’s new COVID-19 vaccine web tool on the City website.

Minnesotans who have not yet been vaccinated are encouraged to sign up for the COVID-19 Vaccine Connector, regardless of their current vaccine eligibility status. The new Minnesota COVID-19 Vaccine Connector will help all Minnesotans find out when, where and how to get their COVID-19 vaccine.

Minnesotans can sign up at mn.gov/vaccineconnector. Minnesotans unable to sign up online can call 833-431-2053 for assistance signing up over the phone. Translation is available by phone in all languages. Minnesotans can call the translation hotline at 833-431-2053 for assistance signing up over the phone. When a Minnesotan becomes eligible to receive a vaccine under State guidelines, the Vaccine Connector will alert them of their eligibility, connect them to resources to schedule an appointment, and notify them if there are vaccination opportunities in their area.

Demand for vaccine still far exceeds supply, and Minnesotans should remain patient as more vaccine arrives in the weeks and months ahead. Every Minnesotan will have an opportunity to get vaccinated; it will just take time.

 Updates on Transforming Community Safety – Online Meeting March 2

An online meeting on the City’s work to transform community safety has been scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 2. Check this webpage for the RSVP, which will be posted later.

The City of Minneapolis is committed to a goal of safety for everyone in Minneapolis. On June 12, 2020, the City Council passed a resolution committing to creating a transformative new model for cultivating safety in Minneapolis.

Since then, internal work groups and key stakeholders have been exploring ways to develop an integrated community safety response that works for everyone.

Three pillars of community safety

The City’s realignment to provide a holistic community safety response will take place in phases over time with much staff, partner and community participation. It focuses on three main areas:

• A public-health-oriented response for preventing violence.
• Alternatives to police response for 911 calls.
• Reforming law enforcement policies, protocols and practices.

Some of the work in progress includes:

• Minneapolis’ crime prevention specialists (CPS) now report to the Neighborhood & Community Relations Department instead of the Police Department. The change reflects the crime prevention specialists’ roles in community engagement. Nothing will change as far as work location, scope of work, job titles and programs offered to the community without further planning and engagement.
• If you have a mental health crisis in Minneapolis, you can continue to call 911 or the Cope mobile crisis team in Hennepin County: 612-596-1223 (for adults in Hennepin County) and 612-348-2233 (for children 17 and under). In 2021, two mental health teams will be available 24/7 for crisis calls. This means police may not provide the primary response for a mental health crisis call or police may still respond if the mental health teams are both on current calls.
• To report theft of property damage, you can call 311, 911 or submit an online report. As part of a pilot this year, City employees (non-sworn officers) will take theft and property damage reports from residents. 

Stay up to date

Stay updated on this work by visiting the City’s community safety webpage where you can see updated information on the three focus areas, key milestones and information presented to the community in an earlier presentation. You can also share your thoughts about what community safety looks like to you. Information will also be shared out over a variety of channels in many languages.