Talking Through the Numbers Talking Through the Numbers

Current data and understanding about American Indian children and families is limiting and often focuses on disparities. Using a story-focused approach in evaluation can help in better understanding what experiences are important and meaningful to Indigenous families in Minnesota.

Guests discuss how they used storybanking—gathering stories from people directly impacted by policies, programs and services—as part of a project designed to align and coordinate systems for families with young children. These stories helped the Minnesota departments of Education, Health, and Human Services and the Governor’s Children’s Cabinet learn about the lives and experiences of Indigenous children, families and communities in Minnesota, better understand how they are doing, and help them access what they need to thrive.

Guests include:
• Lucy Littlewolf Arias, MN Department of Education
• Jessica Tokunaga, Wilder Research

More than half a million Minnesotans experienced poverty last year. Guests talk about financial insecurity and how guaranteed income programs are helping families obtain financial health and well-being.

It's possible for a Minnesotan to be working full time trying to support their family and still earn a poverty-level wage. Heather Britt and guests discuss what we mean by poverty, the big mismatch between who we consider below poverty and what people actually need to get by, and the guaranteed income programs the City of St. Paul and the Wilder Foundation are piloting to support residents navigating poverty and help them achieve financial security.

Guests
Kasey Wiedrich, Financial Capability Manager, City of St. Paul Office of Financial Empowerment
Liz Kaufman, Asset Building Program Coordinator, Wilder Foundation
Jenny Geris, Whole Family Systems Manager, Wilder Foundation
Allison Liuzzi, Research Manager and Minnesota Compass Project Director, Wilder Research

Host Heather Britt is joined by Rochester Public Schools Superintendent Kent Pekel and researchers Anna Granias and Amanda Petersen to discuss the benefits of using data and representing multiple stakeholders and perspectives in strategic planning. The result: ownership and consensus on direction, and a more holistic, robust and impactful plan that actually gets used.

Related:
Planning for Purpose: Rochester Public Schools Strategic Action Plan 2022-2025 (https://www.wilder.org/wilder-research/research-library/planning-purpose-rochester-public-schools-strategic-action-plan)

Guests discuss how social isolation and loneliness impact the health of Minnesota’s older adults, efforts underway to better understand and address the problem, and the ways everyone can help.

Guests
• Steven M. Hoover, PhD, Healthy Aging Coordinator, Central Minnesota Council on Aging
• Christin Lindberg, Research Associate, Wilder Research
• Rebecca Sales, Research Scientist, Wilder Research

Resources
• The Foundation for Social Connection https://www.social-connection.org/
• Commit to Connect: Combatting Social Isolation and Loneliness in all Communities https://acl.gov/CommitToConnect
• National Coalition to End Social Isolation and Loneliness https://www.endsocialisolation.org
• enGaged: The National Resource Center for Engaging Older Adults https://www.engagingolderadults.org
• MinnesotaHelp.info https://www.minnesotahelp.info/SpecialTopics/Seniors/Search?sm=All&q=social+isolation&loc=&geo=&reg=
• Senior LinkAge Line® @ 1-800-333-2433
• Mental Health Minnesota CONNECT Initiative provides social connections by phone between volunteers and people who may be struggling with social isolation https://mentalhealthmn.org/support/minnesota-warmline/
• Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly Phone Companions program matches older adults with volunteers https://www.littlebrothersmn.org/programs/
• AARP Friendly Voice program provides trained volunteers who call people who are feeling isolated or anxious https://www.aarp.org/home-family/friends-family/friendly-voice/
• Minnesota Compass https://www.mncompass.org/topics/demographics/age/older-adults

Guests discuss innovative new models in the Twin Cities East Metro area that pair mental health professionals with dedicated community resource officers to more effectively respond to calls from people experiencing a mental health crisis and connect them to the services they need.

Guests
• Roger Meyer, Project Director, East Metro Crisis Alliance
• Emily Schug, Deputy Director, Dakota County Social Services
• Brian Sturgeon, Chief of Police, City of West St. Paul
• Melissa Serafin, Research Associate, Wilder Research

Resources
• East Metro Crisis Alliance https://www.eastmetrocrisisalliance.org/ The Alliance is an innovative public-private partnership comprised of counties, hospitals, health plans, consumer organizations, and the state, whose purpose is to measurably improve the crisis system in Ramsey, Dakota, and Washington counties.
• Dakota County Mental Health Coordinated Response: https://www.co.dakota.mn.us/HealthFamily/MentalHealth/Response/Pages/default.aspx The Dakota County Coordinated Response model is a collaboration between Dakota County Social Services and some of our local law enforcement departments. The purpose is to provide outreach following a crisis and jointly assist with finding long-term solutions.
• St. Paul, MN Community Outreach & Stabilization Unit (C.O.A.S.T.) https://www.stpaul.gov/departments/police/administration-office-chief/community-engagement-division/community-outreach The COAST Unit consists of the Mental Health Resource Team, the Recovery Access Program and the Police Homeless Outreach Program. The Unit enables the SPPD to connect people in crisis with the care they need, helping to significantly reduce mental-health-crisis-related arrests and repeat calls for service.
• Law Enforcement Response to Mental Health Needs: How Do We Measure Improvement? How do we know collaborations between law enforcement and social services are successful in serving individuals with mental health and substance use needs? Wilder and East Metro Crisis Alliance teamed up to create an evaluation framework for similar initiatives to assess their effectiveness. https://www.wilder.org/articles/law-enforcement-response-mental-health-needs-how-do-we-measure-improvement

Guests discuss how trauma-informed, culturally specific, and community-based programs can help address the overrepresentation of African American youth in the juvenile justice system. The discussion highlights one community-based program supporting African American youth and families in North Minneapolis that is building on individual and community strengths to guide the work, and then explores the ways racial disparities are rooted in structural racism and what the research really shows about community safety.

Guests:
• Carmeann Foster, Founder and Executive Director of Rebound, Inc.
• Adesola Oni, Youth Equity and Innovation Manager in the Juvenile Probation Division of Hennepin County Department of Community Corrections
• Lindsay Turner, Research Associate at Wilder Research