Cohort 1: 2-Generation Policy Network
2-Generation Policy Network was the first iteration of Minnesota’s system change work. It was designed to advance two-generation approaches to policies and practices that improve outcomes for children and parents, together.
Minnesota’s Economic Assistance and Employment Supports Division granted funding to four organizations to serve young children and families by addressing racial disparities in human services outcomes through community-centered processes and programs.
Saint Paul Promise Neighborhood
Saint Paul Promise Neighborhood (housed at Amherst H. Wilder Foundation) is a transformative education partnership that puts children on the pathway to college and career success. Using a school-based approach, Saint Paul Promise Neighborhood supports children at four Saint Paul Promise Neighborhood Pathway Schools in the Frogtown, Rondo, and Summit-University neighborhoods of Saint Paul.
The Northside Achievement Zone
The Northside Achievement Zone is one of Minnesota’s federal Promise Zones. Its goal is to permanently close the achievement gap and end generational poverty in North Minneapolis. It operates as the backbone for a collaborative of 25 community-based partner organizations and schools to walk side by side with low-income families as they put their children on a path to college and create a culture of achievement on the Northside.
Olmsted County
Olmsted County has long provided state-level leadership among county governments for integrated human services. For more than 20 years, the county has offered whole family services to families at-risk of being referred to the child protection system. The county launched supportive housing programs for young parents and troubled youth and works specifically with fathers to assure adequate family connections.
The White Earth Nation
The White Earth Nation (WEN) uses WECARE (White Earth Coordination, Assessment, Resource and Education), a care coordination database system that provides an efficient and effective way to link families living on the White Earth Reservation to needed services. Key employees of the Tribal programs, including Human Service programs, The Bureau of Indian Education and Indian Health Service have access to the WECARE information technology system. The comprehensive WECARE assessment tool can be used to assess a family’s broad needs and automatically send referrals to relevant publicly funded programs. The tool assesses child-focused needs such as childcare funding and immunizations, and the needs of parents, such as transportation, training support and financial assistance.
Research and reports
This report explores the considerable income instability for all new families enrolling in the Minnesota Family Investment Program from 2013 to 2016. It makes clear that families’ incomes, without the program’s cash grants, vary to the degree that it would be almost impossible for a family to know from one month to the next if they had the income to cover expenses.
This report uses data to examine the effect of the child support disregard on Minnesota Family Investment Program grant amounts and child support payments. The department found that the disregard significantly positively affects the Minnesota Family Investment Program grant and is associated with higher child support payments for children.
In September 2018, Olmsted County began using master lease programs to provide shelter to community members experiencing barriers to housing. Master leases allow leaseholders to rent to third parties during the period of the master lease. Olmsted’s Housing and Redevelopment Authority has developed master leases with local property owners to provide housing to participants in two Olmsted County social service programs. The master lease provides a flexible way to supply lodging to people by removing obstacles to housing while reducing risk for property owners.
As part of the Minnesota 2-Generation Policy Network, White Earth Nation and the Minnesota Department of Human Services partnered on White Earth Coordination Assessment Resource and Education (WECARE), an initiative to provide wraparound services to individuals seeking assistance from Tribal programs. This collaboration also included program evaluation and data analysis. They leveraged the department's evaluation and analysis experience, commitment to evaluation and rich data of WECARE. This partnership provides an example of an effective collaboration, and how institutions can work together to achieve positive outcomes. Collaborative analysis of data collected by WECARE may lead to effective program changes that will better serve White Earth Nation citizens. Tribal and department staff worked together to analyze data in ways that honors participants, creating potential for strengthening program policy.
Broadband access is increasingly necessary for people seeking access to government services. And, yet, despite an abundance of state and federal funding and programs to improve access, many low-income Minnesotans do not have it. The Office of Broadband Development (OBD) states that nearly 92% of the state has access to internet speeds that meet the state’s 2022 broadband goals. However, when focusing on rural access alone, this percentage drops by approximately 10 percentage points. Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) helps households afford broadband and internet access. Yet, Minnesota is behind other states in ACP adoption. For instance, as of August 2023, only 27% of eligible Minnesotans had enrolled, compared to the national adoption rate of 37%.
The 2-generation staff and team designed listening sessions for each of the 2-Gen sites and their partners to understand better how the community was coping with the COVID-19 pandemic and George Floyd's murder. This report compiles the insights, lessons learned and feedback from these sessions. The department hopes this report sheds light on what the human services sector can learn from these uncertain times as we continue forward.