Minnesotans are suffering, and Congress has work to do. Minnesota nonprofits spoke today about the urgent need for Congress to take quick and bold action to address the impact of the pandemic and economic downturn on our communities at a press conference hosted by the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits and the Minnesota Budget Project.
These nonprofit organizations serve Minnesotans and communities across the state — from those removing barriers to housing and food, to organizations ensuring health equity and justice through policymaking – and they see the stark realities facing thousands of Minnesota children, families and people of color.
Their message was reminding representatives that Congress is in a powerful and unique position – and must take strong action, as they did earlier in this crisis and in past recessions — to meet the challenges of this moment and to jump-start a more equitable economic recovery.
“As a community of nonprofits, we are driven to taking action to create a world where we can fulfill our missions, and all Minnesotans can thrive,” said Policy Director Marie Ellis of the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits. “Congress’ failure to continue responding to our communities’ needs is deepening racial inequity and will result in a deeper and longer-lasting recession. There is a narrow window of opportunity for acting before the challenges get worse.”
While previous policy actions like the CARES Act were vital, they have proven insufficient, and the situation is worsening:
- The number of Minnesotans turning to food assistance through SNAP has increased 14 percent.
- More households are falling behind on rent, with 16 percent of Minnesota households in that boat.
- And the unemployment rate is higher than at any time during the Great Recession.
Liz Kuoppala, executive director of MAHUBE-OTWA Community Action Partnership summed it up well: “We tell our families and seniors, and they tell us, that we cannot give up on each other. Not when winter is around the corner and homes will need to be heated and driveways shoveled, not when school schedules are uncertain, not when so many people are out of a regular paycheck, and certainly not when it seems there’s no end in sight.
“We cannot afford to have Congress give up on us either. Government action is one of the many ways we care for each other in this country. Our struggling families and seniors are resilient and resourceful – we call on Congress to invest in their potential. We need all hands-on deck to weather this economic and health crisis.”
Last week, more than 150 Minnesota nonprofits sent a letter to Minnesota’s members of Congress urging action. Failure to do so means more kids going hungry and at risk of becoming homeless; threatens cuts to health care, education, and other urgently needed services; and means more lay-offs of teachers and other state and local government workers.
“Hunger Solutions serves every county in the state of Minnesota and we are seeing the impact of the pandemic everywhere,” said executive director Colleen Moriarty. “The loss of a job and unemployment insurance and the threat of losing a home is magnified by thousands when you also don’t have enough food to feed your family. The MN Food HelpLine has had four times as many calls as this same time last year. People are finding themselves increasingly desperate for assistance now.”
Susan Leppke, of Minnesota Doctors for Health Equity pointed out, “The pandemic is showing us more than ever that housing is a critical part of health equity, and Black, Brown, and Indigenous Minnesotans are bearing the brunt of both the health and displacement impacts. Congress has an opportunity and a responsibility to provide for more adequate funding to help us not only survive this crisis, but emerge with a more equitable system for all communities.”
“We need Congress to get back to work and support increasing Medicaid funding and provide housing assistance funding so that states can continue to make affordable health care work for all who need it,” Leppke said.
And at a time when the public is calling for racial equity these harmful repercussions are affecting our neighbors of color much more deeply, so policy solutions must explicitly dismantle our racist systems.
“Covid has only revealed what we already knew about racial disparities: that government inaction is a matter of life and death for communities of color, indigenous communities, and communities experiencing low wealth,” said Voices for Racial Justice Research and Policy Director Brett Grant. “Covid and the recent uprisings were a test for us and for our Government. Would we be able to look past our ideological and philosophical differences and simply do the right thing? Or, would we continue to let ideological and philosophical differences lead us down a path of inaction? All across the country, we saw communities move past their differences and respond to this pandemic with dignity, love, care, respect, and practices of selflessness, demonstrating the best of who we are and who we hope to be as a nation…Our governments have a lot to learn from these examples.”
Additional comments from nonprofit leaders focused on specific communities and nonprofits as a sector and employers in our communities.
- “Human service non-profits historically see the impact of crisis and trauma long after the event has occurred. Minnesotans will be suffering for a long time, even once the pandemic is under control,” said Judy Halper, CEO of Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Minneapolis. “Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Minneapolis, along with other people-serving organizations anticipates that the length of this disruption combined with the ongoing challenge of re-employment and regaining sustainability will result in greater, complex needs, and more resources will be needed to meet them.”
- “Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center is the largest accredited facility of its kind in the nation and serves more than 12,000 Minnesotans from approximately 100 different communities in the state, according to Executive Director Pete Smerud. “As a previously 87% earned income nonprofit we’ve lost 99% of that earned income since March 13 and are now preparing for no return to onsite gatherings until mid-2021. This financial condition puts the Wolf Ridge ELC, also the 8th largest employer in Lake County, in a perilous financial condition. The same condition exists for residential environmental centers all over the state of Minnesota.”
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Speaker list:
- Marie Ellis, policy director, Minnesota Council of Nonprofits
- Liz Kuoppala, executive director, Mahube-Otwa Community Action Partnership
- Susan Leppke, MPH, Minnesota Doctors for Health Equity
- Colleen Moriarity, executive director, Hunger Solutions
- Bharti Wahi, executive director, Children’s Defense Fund of Minnesota
- Veena Iyer, executive director, Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota
- Gene Martinez, The Arc Minnesota
- Judy Halper, CEO, Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Minneapolis
- Brett Grant, director of Research and Policy, Voices for Racial Justice
Video link: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/play/uJMvd-j9rTo3HILGtASDUaArW9W-fKOsgyhLrPAIzRy2UiQKZlWkZbEQarBzd0M2UjLIwRh1MEGFgm-I?startTime=1598279733000&_x_zm_rtaid=FUuv436bQ1-gBQDXIfSTBg.1598303805943.5b05c4154561f014235fc85e3211ba80&_x_zm_rhtaid=955
Letter to Congress: https://www.minnesotanonprofits.org/docs/default-source/coronavirus/congress-sign-on-letter—8-20-20.pdf?fbclid=IwAR1vTX60rKRd8ZfmLo252Ie_5JWd6kmbNpnFEsJKbMxbWgdVsbpprCyOMkM
