South Chapter - April Report

submitted by Renee Pfenning

Legislative Policy Breakfast

Our MICAH South Policy Breakfast, Bring Minnesota Home NOW!, was held via Zoom, on Friday, Feb 24.  Over 60 people attended the event including 20 local, county, and state officials or representatives of their offices.

Featured speakers were District 51B Representative Liz Reyer; Mary Riegert-Soyroing, MN Interagency Council on Homelessness; Dakota County District 2 Commissioner Joe Atkins; and Heather Rand, Community Development Director, Inver Grove Heights.

 Panel members speaking to the question “What we are Doing and How Additional State and Local Funding Will Help” were Kelley Esch, Housing Support Supervisor, 360 Communities; Janelle Shultz and Amber Hanson, Executive Director, Homeless Services Supportive Housing Ally Supportive Services; Madeline Kastler, Deputy Director, Dakota County Community Services Division; and MICAH Board Member Linda Soderstrom, displaced from NOAH units.

 You can view the Policy Breakfast event video and other presentations on our chapter page.

Support for Manufactured Homes Communities

In November, Natividad Seefeld and David Anderson shared many of the challenges for owners and residents in manufactured home communities. New owners, often corporations, are imposing new and strict rules and increasing lot rents that are forcing hardships on many residents.  MICAH is working with the legislature on bills to help all manufactured home communities in the state.

Dakota County General Update

Over 80 people, including several from the MICAH South Leadership Team, attended each of two informational meetings at Calvary Church in Eagan on a proposed emergency shelter for that location. Information included updates on shelter planning, the existing county-operated hotel shelter program, data on homelessness needs, and neighborhood questions and concerns. An additional neighborhood meeting was held on March 14 to hear neighborhood concerns.  An update will be provided at the March Board of Commissioners meeting.

Current Emergency Rental Assistance Funds are nearly depleted. Leadership Team members were encouraged to advocate representatives at the state level to provide funds now from the known budget “abundance” (surplus).

On Feb 28, four members of the Leadership Team and Sue Watlov Phillips met with Ruby DeBliss, Local Outreach Director for Sen. Amy Klobuchar, to discuss MICAH priorities and provide information for Sen. Klobuchar