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HideThe Minnesota Interagency Council on Homelessness, led by Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan and made up of the Commissioners of 14 state agencies, is requesting your feedback on the draft of its newly developed Housing, Racial, and Health Justice plan for people facing homelessness in Minnesota.
This plan has been in development for over a year and the process has been co-lead and co-created with the Council’s 10 Justice Consultants, all people with lived experience of homelessness representing different experiences and different locations across the state.
Phase one of the plan development was a broad community engagement phase to define what housing, racial, and health justice mean for people facing homelessness.
Phase two was the co-creation of the results, strategies and actions to drive toward the vision of justice.
Result 1
Council agencies will collaborate and co-lead with impacted communities that have been historically oppressed and excluded such as Black, brown and people of color, poor/low income, LGBTQIA2S+ and people who have faced homelessness and Tribal Nations to implement the action plan on housing, racial and health justice.
Strategy 1: Every council agency commits to working with people with lived experience of homelessness to guide policies, programs, and agency direction.
Strategy 2: Ensure equitable funding opportunities for Tribal Nations and communities across the state.
Strategy 3: Provide easy to understand information on programs, funding, and decision making to ensure transparency and accountability in state government.
Result 2
Homelessness is prevented whenever possible, and services and supports are provided to ensure no one returns to homelessness.
Strategy 1: Improve access to resources for households to sustain their housing.
Strategy 2: Support people in transitions so they do not leave government funded or operated systems into homelessness.
Strategy 3: Use data to target resources more effectively.
Result 3
A robust crisis response geared toward housing outcomes supports people who are unsheltered, in emergency shelters, and in community.
Strategy 1: Invest in and support additional outreach responses that reach people wherever they are.
Strategy 2: Increase safe indoor crisis options statewide that are low barrier, harm reduction, and culturally responsive to meet people’s needs.
Strategy 3: Support a consistent approach across jurisdictions to improve outcomes for people sleeping in encampments.
Result 4
People facing homelessness have access to housing options that meet their needs and honors their choices.
Strategy 1: Fund and develop a variety of housing options with fewer restrictions and barriers.
Strategy 2: Increase access to rental assistance and vouchers.
Strategy 3: Improve navigation to get people into housing.
Strategy 4: Increase access to supportive services to sustain housing.
Result 5
Homelessness is treated as a crucial health and public health crisis wherever it occurs.
Strategy 1: Create a comprehensive, trauma-informed, and culturally responsive continuum of care for people facing homelessness with behavioral health needs which includes mental health and substance use.
Strategy 2: Increase capacity, access and use of quality, culturally responsive health resources including physical health, mental health, substance use supports, sexual health, and spiritual health.
Strategy 3: Establish a structure and protocols to prevent and respond to infectious disease outbreaks for people facing homelessness.
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