Affordable rentals in the Twin Cities – not so much

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“I was spending 45% of my take home pay on rent,” recalls Jennifer Hall.  She worked for the Minnesota Legislature and moved three times in three years, looking for affordable apartments in safe neighborhoods. Jenn rented in privately owned homes and relied on a large network of friends to tip her off to reasonable rents. “If you want to find something affordable, you have to live in a creepy basement.” Recent media reports have focused on the difficulty in finding apartments in the Twin Cities, but few have focused on the question of affordability.  The Minnesota Housing Partnership, recently released the 2011 County Profiles.  The report draws a dismal picture for middle and lower income renters across the entire state, and especially in the Twin Cities. MHP’s June 13 quarterly “2×4 Report” focused on rental, finding that, “vacancies in the Twin Cities rental market plunged to 3.1%, the lowest in a decade, while average rents climbed to $916.”Leigh Rosenberg, from MHP, refers to the rental market as the “second tier” in housing, because so much focus is on ownership.  She notes that in the past five to seven years, the shift from home ownership to rentals has been “huge” and the demand is one factor driving up rents. Housing is considered affordable if it is less than 30% of a renter’s income. Continue Reading

Superpowers

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For a few of my childhood summers, I often visited my Great Aunt Velma and Great Uncle Howard, who lived in the Senior Citizen Trailer Park in Clinton,Michigan.  While the main attraction was use of the park pool, Great Aunt Velma always provided cookies, cake and ice cream after the swim. 

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Minnesota Reading and Math Corps now recruiting tutors

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“We’re not just talking about it, we’re doing it,” said Kathy Saltzman, executive Director of Minnesota Reading Corps, describing the success of the Minnesota Reading and Math Corps.  A former state senator, she recalls many policy conversations on how to shrink the achievement gap. In her current role, policy becomes practice.  “We have 800 people on the ground working on this through national service,” she said. The Corps hopes to fill all those positions this fall as they recruit throughout the state.The Minnesota Reading Corps pairs literacy tutors with pre-K through third grade students who are in danger of failing. Through short daily sessions and teaching strategies backed up by data indicators, literacy tutors use the science of reading and research to give students extra support. Tutors and coaches tailor strategies to the needs of each student.  In addition to site coaches, master coaches help establish a strong support and knowledge base for tutors, parents, and students.  Math Corps, a newer and smaller program, uses the same model and works with students from fourth through eighth grades.Literacy tutors, full-time or part-time, are paid a modest stipend for an 11-month service commitment. Continue Reading

Yarn bombing the Twin Cities

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Yarn bombing, guerilla knitting, and graffiti knitting are described as “warm and fuzzy” graffiti art.  The concept behind yarn bombing is to soften and beautify the harsh and sometimes ugly urban landscape.  Sometimes simple, sometimes elaborate and complex, tagging objects with hand knitted or crocheted panels is growing in popularity.  The results are expressive, colorful, and fun, but not permanent.In recent years, the practice has expanded world wide.  Bridges, buses, bicycle racks, water towers –  projects range from petite to powerful all over the world.  From giant flower doilies on chain link fences to a complete covering of the Wall Street Bull, yarn artists have jumped at the chance to get creative with their scrap yarn.  Surprisingly, International Yarn Bombing Day, came and went on June 11 with no fanfare in the Twin Cities.  Known for an inerrant love of picturesque landscapes and appreciation of all things pleasant, one would expect Minnesotans to find new ways to celebrate the art of yarn bombing in the Cities.  It could be that Minnesotans are so content there is no need for yarn graffiti or perhaps they just too darn nice.  Yarn graffiti pieces, while strategically placed artworks, are few and far between in the Twin Cities.  Legend tells that yarn bombing was born in Texas in 2005 when a yarn shop owner knitted a cozy for the door handle of her shop.  Here in Minneapolis, it is only logical that the Textile Center, 3000 University Ave, Minneapolis, follows suit.              In front of the Textile Center.Around the corner at Prospect Park, on the Witch’s Hat Water Tower, small yarn graffiti complements the view and the setting.    Back at the U, and the DIY Unraveled Festival on June 10th, the parking garage across the street and the lamppost outside the Festival were yarn bombed but quickly removed.  Heading to St. Paul, the bridge on Cleveland Ave. over I-94 seems an ideal location, true to the concept – harsh chain link, cement, and industry softened by bright glitter, fur, and a tiny fish. Borealis Yarn, 1340 Thomas Ave, a stone’s throw from the Central Corridor, with very nice people who have done their bit on the store front and were nice enough to direct the yarn bombing search to Prospect Park. And back in Minneapolis, the writer’s attempt to dress up the boulevard. Continue Reading

We relive fond memories of the fabric store

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My girls and I, coupons in hand, a song on the radio, laughter on our lips, hopped into the Jetta Knight the other day and headed straight for JoAnn’s of Edina.  I was reminded of the girlhood trips with my own mom to the fabric store, eager to reproduce the experience for my brood.  It was always nice, peaceful, and a “girl” thing.  How wonderful, I thought, to be reliving this Continue Reading

Minneapolis pilot program lends some dirt to community gardening

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Community gardening offers city dwellers an outlet for the desire to create and consume  healthy food, knowledge about what it takes to make that food, and the chance for neighbors to get acquainted and pursue a shared goal. Community gardens can be organized by many kinds of groups: non-profits, faith groups, block clubs, and others. The City of Minneapolis attempts to encourage more community gardens through the Community Garden Pilot Program, which started in 2010.Several lots have been leased to community groups since the program began last year. The program leases lots only to not-for-profit organizations, which are then responsible for liability insurance, layout of the garden, and involving the community.According to Elsfric Porte, Manager for Housing Development at the Minneapolis Office of Community Planning and Economic Development, there are approximately 10 lots still available for lease.  The lots, all soil tested, are part of the City’s inventory but cannot be developed for a variety of reasons.  He notes that the program has been well received and interest has been considerable.  “The concept is not foreign to Minneapolis – numerous gardening efforts are going on absent the use of public space,” says Porte.  In addition to neighborhood associations and church groups, he has witnessed partnering of smaller groups to obtain non-profit status, a requirement of the program. Kirsten Saylor is Executive Director of Gardening Matters, a non-profit created to encourage and assist with community gardening and connect gardeners with resources to further their knowledge and opportunities.  She applauds the City’s intent to encourage a sense of community and healthy food consumption.  Saylor, however, would like to see even more direct involvement of gardeners and more outreach for public input in both process and experience.  “Community gardening has the power to knit communities together,” she says.  One of the challenges in this process, she notes, is recognizing that each gardener and each garden is unique.  In order to address this broad spectrum of skills and abilities, Gardening Matters connects gardeners with workshops, information, and each other for sharing of knowledge and even seeds or produce. Continue Reading

When the folks come to town

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My mom is my favorite knitter and, while I have many times tried to encourage her to expand her crochet skills, she rarely picks up a hook, even though she was the one who taught me and my sister.  My daughter is the same way and this is not the only characteristic those two generations share.  My folks came for a visit not long ago (one of the reasons it has been a while since an upd Continue Reading