DHS received ongoing funding for a statewide technical assistance firm and funding for lead agencies to increase capacity for employment opportunities for people with disabilities.
Technical assistance firm
2021 legislation provided funding for a statewide technical assistance firm. DHS awarded this contract to the University of Minnesota – Institute on Community Integration to carry out the Minnesota Transformation Initiate (MTI). In 2023, the Legislature provided ongoing funding for the technical assistance firm. MTI works to build capacity for competitive, integrated employment and community life engagement. MTI offers individualized technical assistance to provider agencies, counties and tribal nations; statewide training opportunities; communities of practice; and peer mentoring and education for providers, self-advocates and families.
Lead agency capacity building
Through the Lead Agency Employment First Capacity Building Grant, DHS has awarded contracts to six lead agencies to expand their capacity to support people with disabilities to contemplate, explore and maintain competitive, integrated employment.
Awardees are:
- Big Stone County
- Clay County
- Hennepin County
- McLeod County
- St. Louis County
- Stearns County
The state allocated additional funds to MTI to support lead agencies not awarded full grants.
DHS has appointed a statewide technical assistance firm, awarded eight Transition to Competitive Wages grants and 14 Employment Provider Transition Funds grants.
Technical assistance firm
DHS has awarded a contract to the University of Minnesota–Institute on Community Integration to serve as the technical assistance firm for the provider reinvention grant program and carry out the Minnesota Transformation Initiative (MTI). Through MTI, and in collaboration with the University of Massachusetts–Boston, the Arc Minnesota, Strengths at Work LLC and Quillo, the Institute on Community Integration will assist nearly two dozen service providers as they expand their customized, integrated employment services. MTI will engage families of those who work in subminimum wage jobs, provide peer mentoring strategies for job seekers with disabilities and for organizations, carry out statewide trainings for service providers and develop provider toolkit resources.
Transition to Competitive Wages grants
Through Transition to Competitive Wages grants, DHS has awarded contracts to eight HCBS waiver employment service providers who hold a 14c certificate from the U.S. Department of Labor allowing them to pay subminimum wages. The grants will help the providers to develop and implement a business model to phase out their use of subminimum wages by April 1, 2024.
As of January 2020, more than 1,000 Minnesotans with disabilities were being paid subminimum wages through these providers. Grantees will receive individualized technical assistance from the University of Minnesota–Institute on Community Integration to transition their business models and support the people they serve in the next steps to meet their employment and community inclusion goals.
Awardees are:
- Floodwood Services & Training
- Pine Habilitation and Supported Employment (PHASE)
- Hope Haven
- Rise
- The Rising Phoenix
- TSE Inc.
- Advance Opportunities
- Employment Enterprises
Employment Provider Transition grants
Through Employment Provider Transition (EPT) grants, DHS has awarded contracts to 14 waiver employment service providers in Minnesota who will expand their infrastructure and capacity to support people in reaching employment goals. These projects are backed by $6 million in grant funding and will have a statewide impact in 47 counties.
EPT awardees are:
- Accord: To expand capacity to support people in competitive, integrated settings through additional staff resources and increasing the number of people supported in employment services.
- Arrowhead Community Employment: To carry out a supports expansion project expanding services to rural St. Louis and Carlton counties, developing direct support professional/job coach workforce, and expanding their capacity to provide Vocational Rehabilitation Services (VRS).
- Empower Inclusion: To increase support capacity, allow for specialization across support staff and provide culturally responsive supports.
- Kaposia: To build a stronger relationship with VRS, expand capacity for competitive, integrated employment by blending funding streams, focusing on adults with complex mental health needs and transition-age youth and share learnings with others.
- Lutheran Social Services of Minnesota: To expand Employment First services in greater Minnesota, focusing on the Moorhead, Brainerd and Bemidji areas.
- MRCI: To provide a pathway for competitive employment opportunities for people with disabilities and expand footprint and/or menu of employment opportunities to Rice, Steele, Waseca, Carver, Scott, Hennepin and potentially Dodge counties.
- Midwest Special Services Inc.: To develop a comprehensive career ladder to incentivize further education and training to increase job satisfaction among support professionals, resulting in more robust support and services for people.
- NorthStar Community Services: To expand capacity to support people in competitive, integrated employment through hiring additional staff, developing resources, conducting staff training and spreading awareness to the community.
- Productive Alternatives: To expand the capacity for individual employment opportunities in their service area by providing dedicated vehicles and drivers to five regions as well as a dispatch system to coordinate rides.
- Reach for Resources: To help change the perception that people with disabilities cannot work competitively in their community through outreach to area businesses, promoting workplace transition program for transition age young adults, strengthening Lyft collaboration, obtaining CARF accreditation and conducting staff training.
- REM Heartland: To expand capacity to support people in competitive, integrated employment by bringing in additional staff resources, revamping staff training and onboarding and increasing the number of people supported in employment services.
- Residential Services of NE MN: To build regional capacity, create an employer network, expand services to six additional counties in northeastern Minnesota and support more people in competitive employment.
- Trillium Works: To support more people in competitive, integrated employment through increasing infrastructure, removing barriers to transportation and increasing effectiveness with technology.
- UDAC: To carry out comprehensive organization change supporting community- based services and competitive employment. This includes staff training, increasing people supported in employment, expanding geographic impact through developing partnerships and establishing a center of excellence to serve northeast Minnesota.
