Open Letter to Minneapolis Ward 6 Residents

Dear Minneapolis Ward 6 Residents

I am writing to share good news with you about new public investments that will benefit residents of the 6th ward, which Mayor Hodges, my Council colleagues and I worked on together to make a reality.

We heard from the community and we responded with real dollars in the 2016 budget:

• $20,000 for culturally specific autism awareness
• $25,000 for marketing through various cultural media platforms
• $100,000 for an Opportunity Hub in Cedar–Riverside that will combine a variety of needed job- and workforce-related services and training under one roof designed for building the capacity of East African Youth.
• $50,000 to support creation of a 4H program for the East African community.
• $10 million for the City’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund: 8.5 proposed by the mayor plus support addition of 1.5M by the council.
• $1.0 million for other Affordable Housing Programs to meet the needs of large families
• $100,000 for Homeline Services & Interpreters for non-English speaking tenants
• $250,000 for Techhire
• $50,000 for the Community Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT) program,
• $100,000 for the EMT Pathways Program,
• $50,000 for the Community Outreach Explorer Program, and
• $50,000 for the Emergency Medical Services Academy.
• $20,000 for cultural community educational programs for elders at public housing.
• $100,000 for interpreters to help meet the needs of non-English-speaking renters.

These new investments join other new investments in the 2016 City budget workforce and employment programs that will create new career paths for immigrant communities and people of color, including in the fields of public safety and technology.

These investments are part of ongoing efforts that Mayor Hodges and I have actively supported to bring down barriers to employment and bring job-related services directly to people in the community.  For example, mobile job fairs — where employers and job navigators come to the community have been held twice in the East African community this year. This work will continue in 2016.

At a time when immigrants, especially those of the Muslim faith, are under vicious attack by some in America — particularly by some candidates for president — I am proud to live in and represent a City that not only has  a vibrant Muslim community but one that values its Muslim community.

Minneapolis is a global, cosmopolitan city that views all its communities as assets to be nurtured and celebrated. And one of the things that speaks loudest to this notion is the passage of the 2016 budget.

Thank you,

Abdi Warsame

Minneapolis City Council Member Representing Ward 6