| Summer 2000 A Letter from the President of MN NOW Wal-Mart rolling back women's rights Speaker: Japan must admit WWII crimes against humanity MN NOW 2000 Legislative Wrap-up HousingMinnesota launches outreach campaign MN NOW names Mary Ann Bailey Gaspar Feminist of the Year Chrysalis and Amazon Bookstore Cooperative move to South Mpls. MN NOW has open volunteer opportunities
|
HousingMinnesota launches outreach campaign
HousingMinnesota is an outreach campaign designed to educate Minnesotans about the widespread impact of the state's affordable housing crisis and to combat misperception surrounding individuals who need an affordable place to live. Since its launch in early May, HousingMinnesota has gained considerable visibility thanks to a press conference with Governor Ventura and advertising—print, radio, billboards and bus signs—in Rochester, Duluth, St. Cloud, and the Twin Cities. While the campaign utilizes the mass media to convey its key messages, this high profile approach is merely one of several strategies in what will be a multi-phased communications effort. In the months ahead, members of the HousingMinnesota collaboration will help communicate campaign messages, and, on the grassroots level, will work to mobilize Minnesotans around efforts to alleviate the affordable housing crisis. More than 60 organizations now have joined the HousingMinnesota collaboration—from ACORN to Habitat for Humanity of Minnesota to the Minnesota Multi Housing Association. Each of these organizations has a unique approach to addressing the affordable housing crisis and an equally unique base of constituents. Tapping into these networks will greatly expand the reach of the campaign to build broad community support for affordable housing. Educational materials and media training are available to support collaborative organizations' efforts to integrate campaign messages into their own outreach efforts Another tool for this mobilization is HousingMinnesota.org, the campaign's Web site. The site contains background information on the affordable housing crisis and the HousingMinnesota campaign, as well as a statewide listing of affordable housing organizations and activities in which Minnesotans can participate. On an ongoing basis, members of the HousingMinnesota collaboration post their events (rallies, fundraisers, conferences, etc.) on the Web site to connect Minnesotans with local efforts to address the affordable housing needs of their communities. Although the immediate objective of HousingMinnesota is education, the ultimate goal is the production and preservation of more affordable housing. Collaborating organizations will be involved not only in educating the public, but also will take part in efforts to translate the momentum and awareness generated by HousingMinnesota into positive change at the local and state levels. The collaboration of more than 60 organizations is led by the Minnesota Housing Partnership and supported by Tunheim Group, a public relations agency. The effort was initiated by a grant from The Minneapolis Foundation and has since received financial support from the Family Housing Fund, Greater Minnesota Housing Fund, and Minnesota Housing Finance Agency. For more information about the campaign contact Minnesota Housing Partnership at (888) 265-2002 or log on to the HousingMinnesota Web site: www.housingminnesota.org. |