Minneapolis – Engaging Our Community
NCR staff directory, department primer and department draft 5 year goals Community newsDiversity survey of City boards and commissions Diversity Survey of City Boards and CommissionPosted June 1 – Last year, with the support of Council Member Gordon and City Coordinator Steven Bosacker conducted a survey to learn more about the demographics of its volunteer members serving on boards and commissions. For the purposes of this survey, the 400 + community members appointed by the City of Minneapolis were requested to complete the survey. The summary of the questions and responses represents the 194 responses received. This survey is considered a snapshot in time due to the changing nature of membership on over 40 boards and commissions and represents membership from the fall 2009. NRP Consolidation PlanPosted May 5 – The NRP and NCR Directors have developed a draft plan to bring the administrative functions of the NRP program into the NCR Department. This plan, and its associated timeline, can be found here. NCR Department 5 year goalsPosted May 3 – After many months of engaging various communities and groups in developing the NCR department 5 year goals, you can now see a draft of the goals by clicking here. Neighborhoods asked to shape funding programPosted Apr 23 - How should Minneapolis neighborhood organizations be funded in 2011 and beyond? That is the question the Neighborhood and Community Engagement Commission (NCEC) will be asking of neighborhood organizations over the summer months of 2010. Neighborhood and Community Relations (NCR) staff are now contacting neighborhood organizations directly to schedule time at board meetings over May and early June. Commissioners and NCR staff will make other arrangements if it is not possible to participate in an organization’s board meeting. In addition, 5 focus groups will be arranged in late May and early June, and written comments are invited as well. Five community meetings open to the public for providing comments:
The NCEC is charged with recommending a mechanism for providing administrative funding for neighborhood organizations starting in 2011. Conversations with neighborhood organizations in May and June will help the Commission identify what challenges and issues face neighborhoods, what neighborhood organization strengths are, and what has worked well or not so well for funding of neighborhood organizations. A second round of meetings later in the summer will allow for feedback and comment on draft guidelines for the new funding program. Commissioners and NCR staff will also gather input from other key stakeholders besides neighborhood organizations.
Contact Robert Thompson at the Department of Neighborhood and Community Relations with any questions at (612) 673-2523 or by email at robert.thompson@ci.minneapolis.mn.us $3 million in additional funding will support the Neighborhood Revitalization ProgramPosted May 3 – The Neighborhood Revitalization Program (NRP) is receiving an additional $3 million to support its activities—funding that is available as the result of a City credit rating upgrade. City staff recently discovered that these dollars, which were previously required to be set aside, are now available for the continued support of neighborhood organizations. Previously, the City was required to maintain a $3 million balance, along with a Letter of Credit as credit enhancement, for the City Department of Community Planning and Economic Development’s Common Bond Fund. Under the City’s NRP ordinance, the $3 million balance was considered a contractual obligation and was carved out each time the City calculated the annual NRP funding. An upgrade to that fund’s credit rating meant that the letter of credit and the required balance is no longer necessary, freeing up those dollars to be included in NRP funding. The City’s commitment to following good financial practices, which led to the credit upgrade, ensures that all funds committed to neighborhood programming are available. Once the new funding is transferred to NRP, the NRP policy board will determine how to use the additional dollars. NCR expands disabilities awarenessPosted Apr 23 - Ahmed Muhumud is the NCR’s Access and Outreach Manager. As one of his responsibilities, he serves as the City’s ADA Title II Coordinator. Mr. Muhumud, has been leading discussions among City staff and the Minneapolis Advisory Committee on People with Disabilities (MACOPWD) to develop a plan to build a strong support network for disability awareness and ADA compliance. Ultimately, the outcome we are seeking is to have a broad-based, educated staff network meeting ADA compliance concerns and building disability awareness into the ongoing work of the City departments. Every four years, City departments develop a 5 year business plan. We are very fortunate that 2010 is the year that all departments will be developing their next 5 year plan. This provides us with a great opportunity to include ADA awareness into their work. We are working with the City Coordinator’s office to incorporate this into the business planning process. Mr. Muhumud is working with department leaders to identify and train ADA liaisons in their departments. The liaisons will support ADA compliance and help department staff incorporate disabilities awareness into their outreach and programming. The ADA liaisons network will be supported by the NCR department, including a training program being jointly developed with the help of ADA Minnesota, the Minnesota State Council on Disabilities and the MACOPWD. Finally, we plan to evaluate ADA compliance in all City departments and recommend improvements where necessary. 2010 Census door knockingPosted Apr 8 – On Saturday March 27, 2010, Access and Outreach Specialist, Mohamed Hajin participated in a Census door knocking event in the Riverside neighborhood area to help spread the word about the importance of the Census. Mohamed and one other volunteer knocked on approximately 100 doors. While most residents informed them they had already mailed back their forms, five residents told them they did not receive any forms. Mohamed and the volunteer were able to issue new forms. City staff continues to spread the word about how important it is to be counted in the 2010 Census. NCR receives Bush Foundation Grant for Immigrant and Refugee Engagement InitiativePosted Feb 25-- On January 25, 2010 City Council authorized the Neighborhood and Community Relations Department to accept a grant from the Bush Foundation ($100,000) for a pilot project focusing on connecting new immigrants and refugees to widely varied resources and services, support connections within the community. Click here for more information (see agenda item #19) 2010 Bridge Fund now availablePosted Jan 27 -- As you may know, the Neighborhood and Community Engagement (NCEC) has been working on Bridge Fund (previously know as Transition Fund), intended to assist officially-recognized neighborhood organizations by the City of Minneapolis that have limited access to other sources of administrative funding in 2010. The Bridge Fund is a one-time funding source that comes from the City’s general funds. The Neighborhood and Community Relations (NCR) Department and the NCEC is glad to announce that the Bridge Fund Guidelines are now available! See Bridge Fund Guidelines and timeline. Letters of interests will be accepted starting February 1, 2010. The evaluation is expected to include a site visit so please submit your letter of interest as soon as possible. The first round of evaluations will consider letters of interest submitted between February 1 and February 15, 2010. After February 15th, neighborhood organizations may still submit a letter of interest; however, it will be on a first-come, first-serve basis. It is to your advantage to submit your letter before February 15th or if afterwards, as early as possible. Please be sure to read the guidelines carefully. American Recovery and Reinvestment ActPosted Jan 11 -- The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 provided for many programs and opportunities to assist individuals and families through difficult economic times. The City of Minneapolis has compiled a list of programs or opportunities, with links to the federal agencies that are directing resources which are available at http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/recovery/index.asp The list is not comprehensive as federal agency funds are depleted (for example, if the grant is exhausted) or renewed (for example, in the case of revolving loan fund). Use this list to learn about opportunities that were funded through the Recovery Act and then research the appropriate funding agency for resources. If you want help translating this information, call (612) 673-3737. |
