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WE ARE PEOPLE OF ACTIONJenifer Loon was a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives from 2009-2019, and she represented District 48B, which is primarily Eden Prairie. Currently, she is the chair of the Eden Prairie News Working Group. On February 23rd, she will be speaking to the Rotary about the revival of an outlet for local news in Eden Prairie.
Joining District 5950 (click HERE for memo from District President Tom Gump) with the work of supporting social justice, the Eden Prairie Rotary Club is joining in with eight other clubs to collaborate with the Lake Street Council as the business leaders on Lake Street build back their successful business’s. We are joining them as they take steps to move ahead!
On Tuesday, February 16th, Kim Rathjen, President of Onward Eden Prairie, gave an update on Onward Eden Prairie's work in helping homeless youth. She started by thanking the community and many of the members who have supported the community driven project.
Onward Eden Prairie opened almost two and half years ago for young adults who need a safe space to live. Onward Eden Prairie is a transitional housing program serving adults ages 18-24 who are experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity. Residents receive adult support from 180 Degrees to help them learn important life skills so they can plan for a successful start in the future. From research and experiences shared by school and community social workers, young adults facing homelessness in the suburbs are usually attending school, working, or doing both, but they don’t have a stable or safe place to live. Many homeless youth “couch-hop” meaning they sleep in a car or live in an unsafe home. In addition, many youth first became homeless due to volatile or unsafe family situations which then led to parental rejection, getting kicked out, or fleeing family conflict. Homeless shelters are mostly in Minneapolis away from friends, school, work, and familiarity. Unassisted homeless youth are likely to become homeless adults.
Kim highlighted that the residents of Onward Eden Prairie are real people with hopes and dreams of the future. She mentioned a current resident who just finished a nursing degree and is working at a hospital, and another resident studying communications. Residents struggle and learn, as all emerging young adults do, how to live in community with others, develop and respect boundaries, and resolve conflict in healthy ways. Incoming residents are ages 18-22 and must have a job, be committed to finding a job, or be in school; some do a combination. Residents commit to live in a sober house and work with a case manager. Each resident has their own bedroom, shares a bathroom with another person, pays monthly rent; each house can serve up to four young adults at a time. As of now, Onward Eden Prairie has helped 10 young adults. Thanks to many community supporters and volunteers, Onward Eden Prairie is able to create a safe and stable place for homeless youth to help residents launch a successful future.
Marty Scheerer spoke to the club about the civil unrest the occurred this summer after the death of George Floyd and other topics facing his department during this time. First, Mr. Scheerer talked about the department's response to COVID-19. He was proud to announce that Hennipen EMS had been instrumental in helping the CDC develop their COVID-19 guidance early in the pandemic and how they continue to be in communication with the CDC and other public health officials. He told the club that lots of plans were already in place before the pandemic for a similar event, but quickly they found out they needed to developed more plans. Some staff members were getting sick, putting a strain on their staffing. He spoke about making sure that all paramedics had appropriate PPE to be safe when responding to calls.
