NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Margret Treuer, Program Officer
email: margret@nwmf.org
July 16, 2024 (Bemidji, MN) – Grants totaling $30,000 have been approved to six organizations working in the field of homelessness and housing throughout Northwest Minnesota. This marks the second year of supports aimed to improve outcomes for those living through homelessness.
These grants – named Racial Equity Accountability Grants – support a Northwest Continuum of Care project aimed at identifying, dismantling, and de-colonizing instances of racism within the regional homeless response system. The Racial Equity Accountability Project, or REAP, is focused on improving the region’s current system of coordinated entry, which is the primary way that individuals can access supportive housing services in Northwest Minnesota.
Approved grants are:
- Anishinaabe Endaad – $7,500. Anishinaabe Endaad will utilize grant funds to develop a program for individuals seeking housing services within White Earth Nation. Specifically, this grant will focus on supporting individuals who have struggled with substance use. This program includes supporting traditional community events and culturally significant events. By providing individuals with the opportunity to participate in these events, Anishinaabe Endaad will create a safe space for community connections and healing.
- Bi-County Community Action Program (BICAP) – $5,529. In partnership with other organizations, BiCAP will develop a community medicine garden. This project seeks to address the lack of access to traditional medicines within the community, especially for individuals living through homelessness.
- Headwaters Regional Development Center (HRDC) – $7,500. The HRDC will use grant funding to host a pilot project of an on-demand transit system for Conifer Community Estates in Bemidji. This project seeks to build solutions to the lack of transportation while supporting individuals who have experienced homelessness.
- MAHUBE-OTWA – $2,420. This project supports staff development and training opportunities for experts working directly with individuals living through homelessness. This includes hosting trainings and career development events focused on Anishinaabe history, culture, and historical trauma.
- Nameless Coalition – $2,894. In partnership with other community organizations, the Nameless Coalition will support the development of a community medicine garden. The goal is to create a medicine garden at the New Day Center in Bemidji. This will allow Indigenous community members experiencing homelessness to access traditional medicines and create a safe space for traditional healing practices.
- Youth Emergency Shelter and Supports – $2,894. This grant will create career development opportunities for youth and young adults experiencing homelessness in the Park Rapids area. Specific activities will include interview preparation, hosting career fairs and public events, and supporting youth in developing career goals and skills.
A participatory grantmaking process was used to determine grant awards. The REAP Team, comprised of community members who have lived through homelessness, took ownership of the grant process, from setting grant guidelines to determining scoring criteria to reviewing grant applications and through selecting awardees.
The Northwest Minnesota Foundation serves as the “collaborative applicant” for the Northwest Minnesota Continuum of Care, a regional planning body of stakeholders committed to ending homelessness in our region. By engaging the REAP Team in the grantmaking process, NMF aims to empower the community to share decision-making power and equitably distribute funding.
