Projects and initiatives

Safe communities

We envision a future in Hennepin County where residents are healthy and successful, and where our communities are safe and vibrant. A safe community is a place where all residents have access to places to work, learn, exercise and play, youth are engaged with school and extracurricular activities, and people have meaningful employment, income and educational options.

We are guided by a human services and public health lens and our conviction that disparities and community violence are inextricably linked. We can’t solve for one without solving for the other.

To support a violence-free community, we are working with community partners on a multilayered approach that recognizes that young people, particularly young people of color, are the most harmed by community violence.

Safe Communities report (PDF, 5MB)

Young people

We offer resources for young people, families, communities.

Positive alternatives for young people

We know that breaking the cycle of community violence starts with youth.

Safe Communities’ work is particularly focused on improving outcomes for young people who are at risk of experiencing community violence, with a focus on those between 10 and 24 years old.

Hennepin County supports local providers that specialize in community-based prevention and intervention work. We work with partners, who are chosen in a competitive process, to offer a variety of services and programs in the community.

Human trafficking prevention and supports for survivors

The No Wrong Door program connects victims and survivors of sexual exploitation and human trafficking with safe places to live, heal and rebuild their lives, while also working to prevent trafficking through education and other services. With internal and contracted partners, we work to meet each young person’s needs, where they are, in the way best suited for them.

Hennepin County has formal contracts with community-based agencies, some of which we share with the Hennepin County Department of Community Corrections and Rehabilitations (DOCCR).

We also have many informal partnerships within Hennepin County. In addition to DOCCR, we collaborate with Child Protection, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office, the Security Division, and Child Welfare — which also includes a unit dedicated to serving sexually exploited youth.

Youth sexual exploitation

A career booster for young people at-risk

The No. 1 predictor of future success in the workforce is early exposure to work experience, according to Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED).

Safe Communities works across Hennepin County and with our community partners to offer access to internships, apprenticeships, job shadowing and short-term trainings for young people who are most likely to be at risk of gun violence.

Connections for at-risk youth

The Youth Connection Center, a collaboration with Minneapolis Public Schools and the City of Minneapolis, offers a 24/7 safe place for law enforcement to bring young people they come into contact with when they don’t have an immediate family contact or other place to go. This voluntary program offers an opportunity to try to get to the root of what’s not working for young people who are just beginning to have interactions with law enforcement for low-level offenses such as curfew violations and truancy.

The program offers services to give young people a focus outside of criminal activity, and expose them to a consistent, stable adult.

Families

Supports for domestic violence survivors

We work closely with the Domestic Abuse Service Center (DASC) and the Department of Community Corrections and Rehabilitation (DOCCR). Safe Communities supports community providers that offer services and supports for victims and survivors, and offender treatment.

Cities

Programs to improve trust, relationships between residents and police

We know that communities with strong, positive relationships between law enforcement and the communities they serve provide a protected environment that is ultimately safer. The Joint Community Police Partnership (JCPP) fosters these relationships through a long-term commitment by Hennepin County and community police departments.

Liaisons embedded in police departments create programming tailored to each community’s needs, including youth events and educational forums. Each city also has a Multicultural Advisory Committee that meets at least monthly with police leaders to discuss concerns, topics and trends. By building these relationships over time, communities are prepared to work together to handle conflict that arises, and to resolve issues through communication and cooperation.

Joint Community Police Partnership

Preventing, responding to hate crimes

Despite the high profile of hate crimes in the news, we don’t have hard data regarding where, when and how these incidents occur in Hennepin County. This matters because without data, we struggle to create policies and services to prevent incidents and mitigate harm. We are also working to educate hate crime victims, police, policymakers and community members about the impact of hate and bias incidents, and each person’s role in reporting and responding.

Safe Communities’ Anti-Hate Initiative supports community providers working in data collection, awareness and education and convening community providers.