Northside Policy Action Coalition
(Northside-PAC) Fact Sheet
Minnesota continues to be one of the most prosperous states in the nation. Never the less, not all Minnesotans benefit from this prosperity. Communities throughout the state, face increasing rates of poverty; inadequate employment; increases in youth and gun violence; and a skyrocketing foreclosure rate. These issues, exacerbated by pronounced race and class disparities, disproportionately affect the North side of Minneapolis.
Northside Policy Action Coalition (NPAC) mobilizes community-members to access the legislative process and influence policy that impacts the Northside. Our objective is to increase awareness and motivate the African American community and other disenfranchised individuals and communities to realize their political power.
Urban and Suburban, Young and Old, Neighbors and Business Leaders
all coming together with a shared intent to put those legislative issues which will make a difference for the Northside … and the State … front and center with the people who hold power.
Current members of Northside-PAC include:
Northway Community Trust
Northside Achievement Zone (NAZ)
Minneapolis Urban League
NorthPoint Health & Wellness Inc.
Turning Point
Emerge Community Development
KMOJ
Click here to read the Northside Policy Action Coalition
2011 Policy AgendaFunding set for NORTHSIDE GARDEN PROJECTS
Two organizations have been funded by NorthWay Community Trust to advance the urban agriculture movement in North Minneapolis. The process of granting funds to the WE WIN Institute’s Rites of Passage “Youth Garden” and Project Sweetie Pie involved an unprecedented level of community involvement. NorthWay’s Listening Sessions informed the selection of organizations to receive funding.
These projects seek to increase healthy eating by growing, consuming and marketing freshly grown vegetables. They also provide educational opportunities in horticulture, entrepreneurship and job creation by participating with stakeholders.

Click here for an expanded story:
www.northwaycom.org/pdfs/funding_story.pdf

N.E.O.N. Chosen to Lead North Minneapolis Effort

The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) has awarded a two hundred thousand dollar grant to the Northside Economic Opportunity Network (N.E.O.N.), a collaborative that specializes in providing guidance and other assistance to businesses and entrepreneurs in north Minneapolis.

The grant is part of the commitment Gov. Mark Dayton made in March to encourage business and job growth in a part of the Twin Cities that has struggled with issues of poverty and chronic unemployment.

“We are pleased to award this funding to a group that knows the neighborhood and has done much to promote entrepreneurship and economic activity in north Minneapolis,” said DEED Commissioner Mark Phillips. “The Northside Economic Opportunity Network is committed to creating an environment that encourages job growth and other opportunities for residents in that part of the city.”

Under the effort, N.E.O.N. will provide counseling, business planning and marketing, access to capital, cash flow management and startup assistance to neighborhood businesses and entrepreneurs. The initiative will begin July 1 and run through June 30, 2012. All services provided under the program will be available at no cost to clients.

Neighborhoods that will be eligible for services under the initiative are Harrison, Sumner-Glenwood, Near North, Willard-Hay, Jordan, Hawthorne, Cleveland, Folwell, McKinley, Victory, Weber-Camdem, Shingle Creek and Lind-Bohanon.

The Northside Economic Opportunity Network, which was formed in 2005 with support from NorthWay Community Trust, is led by Executive Director Grover Jones. Current partners are Build Wealth Minnesota, Catalyst Community Partners, EMERGE Community Development, the Metropolitan Consortium of Community Developers (MCCD), Metropolitan Economic Development Agency (MEDA), the Minnesota Black Chamber of Commerce, the Neighborhood Development Center (NDC), NorthWay Community Trust, ProBid LLC and the West Broadway Business and Area Coalition (WBC).

NorthWay Listening Project
NorthWay Community Trust has reinitiated a series of listening sessions at different venues throughout North Minneapolis. These NorthWay meetings are part of an ongoing community discussion to review the work of previous listening projects in collaboration with NorthPoint Wellness Center and to assess progress and support the initiatives suggested in the 2005. Listening Project hopes to identify the opportunities and the gaps in our efforts to achieve a healthy Northside community. The outcome of the 2011 Listening Project will be a refined, tactical strategy to target prescribed community goals.

Northside Achievement Zone (NAZ)
NorthWay had solidified partnerships and brought on NAZ’s first staff member to usher its work into the coming year. Northside Achievement Zone was formed to address the educational achievement gap between African-American and white children. This achievement gap hits hard in North Minneapolis. From youth violence to incarceration rates, to educational and wealth attainment, North Minneapolis leads the nation in disparities along geographic, racial, and class lines.
NAZ is working to replace the “cradle to prison” pipeline that has developed in North Minneapolis with a more promising path that leads to college and a successful life. The effort is focused on 255 blocks in North Minneapolis, the area most impacted by crime, violence and poverty.
NAZ will revolutionize the way non-profits and community organizations work together. They will refocus efforts around clear outcomes for families and children in the Zone by building a coalition of over 50 existing area service-providers will revolutionize the way organizations work together. Local schools, mentoring programs, family support organizations, health services, arts organizations and worship organizations will work in coordination with each other around a shared achievement plan for kids in the Zone. Where one program ends, another picks up the process in support of NAZ kids.
These service providers will establish a new level of accountability with a “NAZ-Tested Seal of Approval.” They will take a family-centered and child-centered approach to refocus resources on achievement for kids and families within the Zone, rather than a focus on organizational outcomes.

Public Policy Training
NorthWay Community Trust has completed a series of Public Policy Trainings, graduating 18-20 participants who developed knowledge and skills in public policy engagement. The trainings targeted three areas: public policy, financial and media literacy. Some of our graduates have since, found employment with organizations where they are able to apply themselves in work directly related to the trainings. To date, at least one graduate is currently running for public office.

NorthWay Family Project
NorthWay Community Trust launched this partnership of Minneapolis Public Schools, Hennepin County Family Services and the City of Minneapolis Employment Training Program. In 2008 the initiative reached youth and families in the lowest economic quintile that were previously unassisted by the usual employment and training programs offered. NorthWay Family Project placed 93 youth in jobs as well as eight parents who received training through the program. An additional 13 parents participated in life coaching workshop classes.

Case Statement for the Northside
Self-reflection helped us to understand ourselves a little better in 2008. NorthWay invested in an assessment of our assets and an investigation of our opportunities. The resulting work has connected people to resources and to each other. It also encourage private and public investment in our community.
Among those assets are organizations founded and/or supported by NorthWay Community Trust. The Comprehensive Community Development Group, Hmong American Mutual Assistance Association (HAMAA), NEON, Northside Arts Collective, PEACE Foundation and YMCA continue to have a strong presence in the community. In distinctly different ways, each contributes to the vitality of our North-side neighborhoods.