1. Aligning Program Operations for Community Impact
Center human dignity in the delivery of programs focused on short and long-term collective impact

PROGRESS UPDATES

• Moved into new Brooklyn Park and Bloomington office locations and expanded Minneapolis location, improving accessibility to clients across Hennepin County.
• Implemented online application for Energy Assistance and streamlined processing workflows resulting in 16% reduction in application processing time. 
• Reduced application processing time for Emergency Rental Assistance to within 30 days.
• The relaunch of the Water Assistance Program has been delayed until July so that resources can be focused on meeting the high demand for Energy Assistance.

2. Building Community Wealth Through Collaboration
Promoting an environment for community prosperity that maximizes resource access for all

PROGRESS UPDATES

• CAP-HC received a two-year grant to promote social equity building and community engagement, including providing empowerment training and employment services. CAP-HC will partner with A Mother’s Love and Salem Inc., two North Minneapolis-based grassroots organizations that have close ties to their communities and proven track records of positively impacting residents most in need.

3. Affecting Policy to Build Momentum for Systemic Change
Addressing the root causes of poverty as a collective effort

PROGRESS UPDATES

• CAP-HC influenced language supporting a $35M appropriation to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety. This appropriation will result in an RFP for public safety activities focused on high need populations and community groups well positioned to serve them.
• CAP-HC’s state association, MinnCAP, harnessed the collective power of the Community Action network and partnering organizations to successfully achieve all its priorities for the 2023 legislative session. This included an increase in Minnesota Community Action Grant (MCAG) and Family Assets for Independence in Minnesota (FAIM) funding for FY24-25, an increase in pre-weatherization funding for FY24-25 and ongoing, passage of the Child Tax Credit and one-time funding for Senior Meals in FY24.  
• Increases to MCAG and FAIM funding are one-time, resulting in the need for continued advocacy to increase funding for future years.
• Community voices were at the center of CAP-HC’s 2023-25 Strategic Planning process as highlighted in the organization’s Community Needs Assessment (CNA) and a video describing the planning process. Over the spring, the CNA and video were distributed to partners, public officials, and the public via the agency’s website.

4. Activating Change through Robust Funding Development
Diversify funding and grow unrestricted revenue to increase sustainability and maximize program flexibility and impact

PROGRESS UPDATES

• Completed funding case statement, an important tool for explaining our purpose, impact, and how we use funds to potential funders.
• Increased DEED Getting to Work Grant funding level, enabling CAP-HC to help even more people in Hennepin County through our Vehicle Repair Program. 
• Reached 250 financial wellness workshop participant goal via Cummins partnership.
• We would still like to recruit more members to the Fund Development Task Force – including board members and non-board members.

5. Investing in Team Members for a Thriving CAP-HC
Foster a vibrant and positive environment where staff can expand their capabilities and utilize their unique advantages as they further our mission

PROGRESS UPDATES

• Launched new job satisfaction and engagement survey in June 2023 and shared results with staff in the fall. Based on the results, the leadership team identified focus areas for improving engagement in 2024.
• Established a Wellness Working Group which began meeting in the second quarter of 2023.
• A total of five all-staff trainings were conducted in 2023 on Creating Conversations That Build Resilience; Creating Capacity for Ourselves, the Team, and Clients; and an annual Preventing and Responding to Sexual Misconduct in the Workplace training.
• Staff turnover was high in 2023, especially with employees of less than a year.