Beacon Interfaith

Clergy & Religious Leaders Gathering - 11/19/20
2020-11-19 09:00 - 10:15 (America/Chicago)
Clergy and staff leaders of Beacon congregations are invited to gather monthly for reflection, discussion, and support. Hosted by Beacon organizers, we’ll explore topics related to congregations’ work on shelter, housing and policy and strengthen our collaborative for a prophetic presence in the public arena. Drop in for one, or attend them all! Meetings will be virtual.

Beacon Now: Bimosedaa - 11/25/20
2020-11-25 14:00 - 14:30
Whether you’re brand new to Beacon or have been a supporter for years, we invite you to attend a virtual “Beacon Now” session. In this session, we’ll touch on the basics of Beacon’s work, go in depth on one aspect of that work, and discuss how we can make a difference for our neighbors now. Encampments of neighbors without a home are again growing. Racial disparities in housing continue to harm communities of color. This session will cover the status of Bimosedaa, our downtown Minneapolis housing development in partnership with Red Lake Nation, and the actions you can take to get these desperately needed homes built.

Rent is Due: Day of Action - 12/1/20
2020-12-01 08:30 - 09:00
Please register below to join us, and raise our voices together for the December 1, Rent is Due: Day of Action.
Our vision is that all people have a home. The pandemic and economic crisis are building into an eviction crisis, which could add to the already too large number of people experiencing unsheltered homelessness. We cannot let this happen, and home is the solution.
We need Bring it Home, MN, a rent subsidy program that will allow all low-income Minnesotans the security and reassurance of home.
On Tuesday, December 1, when rent is due, join us at 8:30 a.m. for a thirty-minute update meeting, where we will learn more about the growing crisis, reflect together over instructions on how to take action together.
Please register below to let us know you will participate and to receive further instructions on how to access the meeting.
We look forward to joining with you on December 1.

Beacon Now: Bring it Home, Minnesota - 12/2/20
2020-12-02 14:00 - 14:30
Whether you’re brand new to Beacon or have been a supporter for years, we invite you to attend a virtual “Beacon Now” session. In this session, we’ll touch on the basics of Beacon’s work, go in depth on one aspect of that work, and discuss how we can make a difference for our neighbors now. Encampments of neighbors without a home are again growing. Racial disparities in housing continue to harm communities of color. This session will cover Bring it Home, Minnesota, proposed legislation we believe would virtually end homelessness in the State, and the actions you can take to make Bring it Home, Minnesota a reality.”

Light the Way Home
2020-12-03 16:00 - 16:45
Working together, we believe it’s possible for all people to have a home. If we join our voices and our resources, we believe we have the power to see this happen in our lifetimes. Ensuring this future will require the investment of both public and private funds.
It takes nearly $4 million from our community each year to push our work forward. Thousands of people give what they can as a testament to their values.
Light the Way Home is a series of virtual fundraising events where attendees are invited to give generously and introduce others to our vision. Light the Way Home offers an invitation for you to give generously or in any way that’s meaningful to you.
**Please select “Attendee: Quantity 1” below to begin your registration:

Power Tools: Leadership for Change Virtual Workshop Series
2020-12-06 14:00 - 2020-12-08 20:00
Registration is currently closed for this event. If you would still like to attend the workshop, please contact your congregational organizer, or Deb Rodgers if you’re not sure who your organizer is.
To create the change needed to ensure all people have a home, we need skilled leaders able to build meaningful relationships with decision makers, hold power and act effectively in the public arena. This three-part virtual workshop focuses on how we understand and use power to address issues of homelessness; ways to act on individual and congregational interest; how to build powerful public relationships; tools to plan and act strategically; and how to participate in actions and campaigns that channel power and build the capacity of leaders, congregations and the collaborative.
This workshop is composed of three virtual sessions:
1. Sunday, December 6 from 2 – 6 p.m.
2. Monday, December 7 from 4 – 8 p.m.
3. Tuesday, December 8 from 4 – 8 p.m.
We ask participants to share in the cost of this workshop and suggest $50 per person. Congregations may also wish to cover costs to invest in the leadership of their members. We don’t want cost to be a barrier for anyone to attend, so please contact Deb Rodgers about a scholarship if needed.
Core training for Beacon Leadership Team members, key leaders, clergy and faith leaders in Beacon congregations. We recommend six months’ experience with Beacon or with your congregation’s leadership team before attending this workshop.

Beacon Now: Bring it Home, Minnesota - 12/9/20
2020-12-09 14:00 - 14:30

Beacon Now: Great River Landing Celebration
2020-12-10 17:30 - 18:15
In August 2019, Beacon and our partner, Better Futures MN, opened Great River Landing, 72 homes for men, primarily African American fathers, who have recently exited incarceration and experienced homelessness. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic has prevented us from hosting a Grand Opening. But you can join us for a special Beacon Now: Great River Landing on December 10 at 5:30 p.m. to get a peek inside this wonderful building!

Bring it Home MN Leadership Assembly
2020-12-15 16:00 - 18:00
The New Year beckons, and the 2021 legislative session offers exciting opportunities for us to be bold as we build support for Bring it Home, MN. The organizers along with Ben, our Director of Public Policy, have scheduled a special Leadership Assembly to focus on the plan for the (virtual) legislative session and all the ways your congregation can get involved. Our courageous, faithful and decisive voices heard are needed more than ever as we push for legislation for housing for those who need it the most. Bring your organizing plan – lets fill it in together!

Beacon Now: Bring it Home, Minnesota - 12/16/20
2020-12-16 14:00 - 14:30

Clergy & Religious Leaders Gathering - 12/17/20
2020-12-17 09:00 - 10:15

Beacon Academy: 1-1 Skill Building
2020-12-17 17:00 - 18:00
Join us for our inaugural monthly 1-1 training and practice session! We’re always talking about the fact that 1-1 relational visits comprise the core building block of our organizing, so we want to make sure we’re putting our words into action! Drop in for an informal mini-training and practice opportunity.

We’ll plan to hold these every 3rd Thursday at this time, so if you can’t make this month you can make the next!

Emerson Village: Mpls City Council Vote
2020-12-18 09:30 - 11:30
Emerson Village is at-risk of being passed over for critical funding from the Minneapolis Affordable Housing Trust Fund.
The Minneapolis Business, Inspections, Housing and Zoning Committee (BIHZ) did not recommend Emerson Village to the City Council for Affordable Housing Trust Fund dollars. Emerson Village has the fourth highest score in the competitive proposal process and has the highest number of homes restricted to people with the lowest incomes but it was passed over in favor of projects that scored lower and/or that have fewer homes restricted to people earning less than 30 percent of the area median income.
Emerson Village deserves the award of AHTF funds. We’re calling on the Minneapolis City Council to amend the BIHZ recommendations to include funding for Emerson Village. The Council has said housing – especially housing for people with the lowest incomes – is a priority.
Please register for information on how to watch the Council meeting and for a Zoom link to debrief with the collaborative following the vote. We will want to report a strong contingent of supporters to councilmembers during the meeting!

Beacon Now: Bring it Home, Minnesota - 12/23/20
2020-12-23 14:00 - 14:30

Beacon Now: Bring it Home, Minnesota - 12/30/20
2020-12-30 14:00 - 14:30
Whether you’re brand new to Beacon or have been a supporter for years, we invite you to attend a virtual “Beacon Now” session. In this session, we’ll touch on the basics of Beacon’s work, go in depth on one aspect of that work, and discuss how we can make a difference for our neighbors now. Encampments of neighbors without a home are again growing. Racial disparities in housing continue to harm communities of color. This session will cover Bring it Home, Minnesota, proposed legislation we believe would virtually end homelessness in the State, and the actions you can take to make Bring it Home, Minnesota a reality.

New Homes' Eve
2020-12-31 16:00 - 20:00
Ready to turn the page on 2020? This New Year’s Eve, Beacon invites everyone to participate in New Homes’ Eve, a pandemic-safe celebration of Beacon preparing to start construction on four developments: Cranberry Ridge, Bimosedaa, and expansions at American House and Lydia! To get the party started we are collecting blessings for the ground those developments will sit on.
We’re looking for blessings representing all religious/cultural backgrounds, so please participate!
You can send your blessings or ask any questions to Craig Freeman, our Community Connection Manager, at cfreeman@beaconinterfaith.org.
From 5 – 7 p.m. on New Year’s Eve, you’re encouraged to drive to one or more of the four sites to offer a blessing (one of your own, or one of those submitted to Craig). If you’re on social media, take a picture of yourself at the site, write your blessing, and tag us on Facebook (@BeaconInterfaith), Twitter (@BelieveInHome) or Instagram (@BelieveInHome), and use the hash tag #BelieveInHome.
To learn more about these new homes, download this PDF: New Homes Eve.
For directions to each of the sites, click here.

Prairie Pointe: Celebration and What Comes Next
2021-01-04 18:00 - 19:00
On January 4thth from 6 – 7 p.m. folks from across the southwest are coming together to celebrate our recent funding win in Scott County for Prairie Pointe! This win for Prairie Pointe is because of the dedication and advocacy from hundreds of people over the last several years, but our work is not over yet! As we celebrate together, we will also be discussing the next phase of our work around Prairie Pointe and the actionable steps ahead of us to make these desperately needed homes a realty.
Register today to celebrate and participate in our continued vision of home!

Rent is Due: Day of Action - 1/05/21
2021-01-05 08:30 - 09:00
Our vision is that all people have a home. The pandemic and economic crisis are building into an eviction crisis, which could add to the already too large number of people experiencing unsheltered homelessness. We cannot let this happen, and home is the solution.
We need Bring It Home, MN, a rent subsidy program that will allow all low-income Minnesotans the security and reassurance of home.
On Tuesday, January 5, join us at 8:30 a.m. for a thirty-minute update meeting, where we will learn more about the growing crisis, and reflect on how to take action together.
Please register below to let us know you will participate and to receive further instructions on how to access the meeting.
We look forward to joining with you on January 5.

Beacon Academy: Building Home
2021-01-12 18:00 - 20:00
Do you know what the three buckets of funding are needed to create affordable homes? Can you describe what supportive housing is? Here’s the tough one – who does it include when we say our focus is creating homes for those at 30% of the area median income (AMI)?
Building Home is our introduction to housing development – no experience necessary!
Please select ‘Attendee: Quantity 1’ to begin your registration:

Beacon Now: Lydia Apartments - 1/13/21
2021-01-13 14:00 - 14:30
Whether you’re brand new to Beacon or have been a supporter for years, we invite you to attend a virtual “Beacon Now” session. In this session, we’ll touch on the basics of Beacon’s work, go in depth on one aspect of that work, and discuss how we can make a difference for our neighbors now. Encampments of neighbors without a home are again growing. Racial disparities in housing continue to harm communities of color. This session will cover Lydia Apartments and the upcoming expansion that will double its size from 40 to 80 homes with supportive services for people dealing with mental illness or recovering from chemical dependency. Join us to learn more and find out how you can get involved in Beacon’s work.

Beacon Now: Lydia Apartments - 1/20/21
2021-01-20 14:00 - 14:30

2021 Legislative Launch & Action
2021-01-21 19:00 - 20:00
Join us for a virtual event on Thursday, January 21 at 7 p.m. to kick off Beacon state legislative work to advance our vision that all people have a home.
We will join together as the full Beacon collaborative to celebrate our vision and hear about what is at stake in this legislative session. We will also take action together by having a public dialogue with legislators and legislative leadership about how they will prioritize housing and support Bring It Home, MN, a statewide rent subsidy program.
Please select ‘Attendee: Quantity 1″ below to begin your registration and receive login info:

Beacon Academy: Unpacking Race & Housing
2021-01-26 18:00 - 20:00, 2021-02-02 18:00 - 20:00
As the collaborative continues its race equity journey we are increasingly aware of the importance to understand the history behind the disparities that exist in the ongoing housing crisis. Unpacking Race and Housing provides an opportunity to ground ourselves in an understanding of the levels of racism, the way race has been used to oppress communities of color and Indigenous communities and the impact of that today. Unpacking Race and Housing is offered as a two-part series, so participants have ample time for discussion and reflection.
This training consists of 2 virtual sessions:
1. Tuesday, January 26 from 6 p.m. – 8 p.m.
2. Tuesday, February 2 from 6 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Please attend both to experience the full training.
Registration is now CLOSED for this event, but you can register the next occurrence of this series here.

Beacon Now: Lydia Apartments - 1/27/21
2021-01-27 14:00 - 14:30

Clergy & Religious Leaders Gathering - 01/28/21
2021-01-28 09:00 - 10:15

Beacon Academy: 1-1 Skill Building
2021-01-28 17:00 - 18:30
Join us for our inaugural monthly 1-1 training and practice session!
We’re always talking about the fact that 1-1 relational visits comprise the core building block of our organizing, so we want to make sure we’re putting our words into action. Drop in for an informal mini-training and practice opportunity.
We’ll plan to hold these every 3rd Thursday at this time (For January, we had to move to the 4th due to a conflict) so if you can’t make this month you can make the next!

Rent is Due: Day of Action - 2/01/21
2021-02-01 08:30 - 09:00
Our vision is that all people have a home. The pandemic and economic crisis are building into an eviction crisis, which could add to the already too large number of people experiencing unsheltered homelessness. We cannot let this happen, and home is the solution.
We need Bring It Home, MN, a rent subsidy program that will allow all low-income Minnesotans the security and reassurance of home.
On Monday, February 1, join us at 8:30 a.m. for a thirty-minute update meeting, where we will learn more about the growing crisis, and reflect on how to take action together.
Please register below to let us know you will participate and to receive further instructions on how to access the meeting.
We look forward to joining with you on February 1.

Bring It Home, MN - House Hearing 02/02/21
2021-02-02 10:30 - 12:30
Join us to watch virtually and debrief the hearing for our Bring It Home, MN bill in the Minnesota House Housing Committee. The bill, HF 40, sponsored by Rep. Michael Howard, creates a Minnesota rent subsidy program to create housing stability for all low-income renters in our state. Beacon is working with Rep. Howard and other supporting organizations to organize.
We need to show up to support the bill and all of the testifiers!
Please register to commit to watching the hearing. We will send you information on how to watch the hearing and an invitation to a Beacon debrief call after.

Beacon Now: Current Projects - 2/3/21
2021-02-03 14:00 - 14:30
Whether you’re brand new to Beacon or have been a supporter for years, we invite you to attend a virtual “Beacon Now” session. In this session, we’ll touch on the basics of Beacon’s work, go in depth on one aspect of that work, and discuss how we can make a difference for our neighbors now. Encampments of neighbors without a home are again growing. Racial disparities in housing continue to harm communities of color. This session will cover the status of all current Beacon projects. Join us to learn more and find out how you can get involved in Beacon’s work.
