Beacon Interfaith

Legislative Meeting: Rep. Greenman
2021-03-05 12:30 - 13:15 (America/Chicago)
Join us to welcome Representative Emma Greenman (63B – Minneapolis / Richfield), one of our newly elected legislators in Minnesota. Her support of Bring It Home, MN will make a huge difference as we work to ensure all people have a home. Whether you live, work, or worship in the district or can show up in solidarity, join us to introduce her to Beacon!
**Please note: this event was originally slated to begin at 1 p.m. but will now begin at 12:30 p.m.**

Beacon Now: Current Projects - 3/03/21
2021-03-03 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 all current Beacon projects. Join us to learn more and find out how you can get involved in Beacon’s work.

Leadership Assembly
2021-03-01 16:00 - 18:00
We love getting our leaders together, and know you love it too! Our next Leadership Assembly will be on Monday, March 1st from 4 – 6 p.m. We will hold a brief social media training for all those wanting to learn how to effectively use Facebook, Twitter and other tools in promoting your events and Beacon’s campaigns. We’ll also provide a Bring It Home, MN update and share the campaign to fully fund Vista 44 and Emerson Village. Finally, we’ll spend time learning with and from each other on all the ways we can engage people as this unimaginable virtual world continues.

Rent is Due: Day of Action - 3/01/21
2021-03-01 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, March 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 March 1.

Clergy & Religious Leaders Gathering - 02/25/21
2021-02-25 09:00 - 10:15
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: Current Projects - 2/24/21
2021-02-24 14:00 - 14:30

Hennepin Summit
2021-02-22 18:30 - 19:30
We’d like to gather leaders in Minneapolis and Suburban Hennepin County to get everyone up to date on what’s coming up in our region!
You have all been showing up in amazing ways this year and it is having an impact. We are now poised to do some pretty powerful work this spring: ambitious plans to meet with City Council members, a few more of our urban legislators, Met Council members and County Commissioners. All toward the goal of creating more homes for families with the lowest incomes and keeping people in the homes they have. If we have learned anything this year it’s how essential our voices are in keeping a focus on this.
So this summit of awesome Hennepin leaders will give you and your teams a chance to see what you are working on in the big picture and make educated choices about where your congregation can make the biggest difference by showing up. We hope someone will attend from each congregation in Hennepin County.

Legislative Meeting: Sen. Fateh
2021-02-22 15:00 - 16:00
Join us to welcome Senator Omar Fateh (62 – Minneapolis), one of our newly elected legislators in Minnesota. His support of Bring It Home, MN will make a huge difference as we work to ensure all people have a home. Whether you live, work, or worship in the district or can show up in solidarity, join us to introduce him to Beacon!

Beacon Academy: 1-1 Skill Building
2021-02-18 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, so if you can’t make this month you can make the next!

Beacon Now: Current Projects - 2/17/21
2021-02-17 14:00 - 14:30

Legislative Meeting: Rep. Agbaje
2021-02-13 14:00 - 15:00
Join members of the Emerson Village team and congregations from across the collaborative to meet newly elected state Representative Esther Agbaje. She has signed onto our Bring It Home, MN bill and voiced support in the hearing! Wherever you live or worship, you can be part of introducing her to Beacon and hearing about her perspective on housing.

Beacon Now: Current Projects - 2/10/21
2021-02-10 14:00 - 14:30

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.

Beacon Academy: Unpacking Race & Housing
2021-02-02 18:00 - 20:00, 2021-01-26 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.

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.

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.

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!

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

Beacon Now: Lydia Apartments - 1/27/21
2021-01-27 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.

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

Beacon Now: Lydia Apartments - 1/13/21
2021-01-13 14:00 - 14:30

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:

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.

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!

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.

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.

Beacon Now: Bring it Home, Minnesota - 12/23/20
2020-12-23 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.”

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!
