YES! Hennepin County board action: Directing people in crisis away from criminal justice system
Thursday, October 25, 2018 at 3:17PM
The Hennepin County board accepted funding to direct people in crisis away from the criminal justice system, accepted funding to support student success inside and outside of school, appointed the executive director of Hennepin Health and more.
Funding will direct people toward services and away from criminal justice system
The board accepted $1 million of federal funding to establish medical services and social supports for people facing mental health and addiction crises.
U.S. departments of Justice and Health and Human Services granted the county funding to expand the Behavioral Health Center in Downtown Minneapolis. The center links people in crisis to health, human services and community resources and provides another option for people who might otherwise go to jail or the hospital.
Funding will also expand a program that embeds mental health social workers with law enforcement. Social workers help de-escalate crises and connect people with follow-up services. The police department piloted this model in September 2017 in south Minneapolis and is expanding it to downtown Minneapolis.
View more about the Department of Justice grant.
View more about the Department Health and Human Services grant.
Grant will support academic, social and emotional outcomes for students
The board accepted a $500,000 federal grant to implement the Building Assets, Reducing Risks (BARR) model at four Hennepin County high schools with a high proportion of county-involved youth. As part of the BARR model, teachers build relationships with students to increase success and wellness inside and outside of school. The county-involved youth population includes teens in the foster care or juvenile justice systems; teens experiencing homelessness; and teens who are pregnant or parenting.
Find out more about this grant.
Board appoints Hennepin Health executive director
The board appointed Anne Kanyusik Yoakum as executive director of Hennepin Health, the organization that provides health-care coverage to county residents enrolled in a Minnesota health-care program. Kanyusik Yoakum is currently serving as acting executive director and most recently served as chief compliance and privacy officer for Hennepin Health.
Read more about this appointment.
Public hearing – draft 2040 comprehensive plan
The board will host a public hearing to receive comments on the county’s draft comprehensive plan, an overarching policy framework required by state statute that will help the county meet its stated mission. The hearing will take place at 1:30 p.m. Thursday, November 15, in the Hennepin County Government Center Board Room (A-2400).
