Join us on June 12th and 14th for our Building Mural Community Input Meetings!
The Family Partnership has engaged City Mischief to create a large-scale mural for the east facing exterior wall of our new Building for Better Futures resource center at 1527 E. Lake Street. Join the artists and The Family Partnership to learn more about the vision for the mural and provide input towards its design. The vision for the mural is to reflect and celebrate the diversity and strengths of Minneapolis families.
Mural Community Input Meetings
Register online: www.LakeStMural.eventbrite.com
Saturday, June 12 – 10 am – 11:30 am,
Monday, June 14 – 6:30 pm – 8 pm.
The meetings will be virtual through zoom with very limited in-person attendance. Somali and Spanish language interpreters will be at the meetings. To learn more, download one of our informational flyers below.
The Family Partnership’s new Building for Better Futures center will open with preschool, childcare and therapy services. More family services and the agency’s headquarters also relocated.
The voices of preschool children will ring through The Family Partnership’s new South Minneapolis building on June 4 when the Four Directions multicultural therapeutic preschool re-opens at its new address at 1527 E. Lake Street. The Family Partnership also operates a North Minneapolis preschool and family services building.
Construction on The Family Partnership’s 48,122 square-foot building began in February 2020 and finished on schedule March 1. The Family Partnership is moving its corporate office and programs from three previous locations into the new facility. The building has 3X more space to better serve families and implement the organization’s two-generation (2Gen) approach.
The new building will include:
- Expanded space for Four Directions (4D), including Dakota and Ojibwe language immersion classrooms by partner Wicoie Nandigenkan. Four Directions will have separate, secure entrances, and new indoor and outdoor play areas. (Previously, the school leased space in the Little Earth community at 2438 18th Ave. South).
- Expanded rooms for The Family Partnership’s Developmental Therapy (occupational, physical and speech) services that provide access for children enrolled in The Family Partnership’s preschools, family home visiting programs and outpatients from the community. Developmental screenings are also available for preschool children.
- Expanded space for outpatient Mental Health Therapies for all ages (including play-based therapy for children). Multilingual and culturally diverse therapists offer sessions for individuals, couples or in family sessions and create personalized plans to improve mental well-being. (Previously at 4123 E. Lake St.)
- Increased access to comprehensive Anti-Sex Trafficking services for sexually exploited individuals and families in a supportive, private and safe space through our PRIDE (Promoting Recovery, Independence, Dignity and Equality) program.
- New Corporate Office moving from 414 S. 8th Street in Minneapolis, and administrative services.
In 2012, our board made an intentional decision that rather than families coming to us, our services would locate in the heart of the communities we serve.
Molly Greenman, President and CEO of The Family Partnership,
This video demonstrates how the new building will better facilitate services to families. Learn more about The Family Partnership’s new Building for Better Futures.
We would like to introduce Mikki Mariotti, the New Director of The Family Partnership’s Anti-Sex Trafficking program. We asked Mikki to share why she is passionate about Anti-Sex Trafficking work and how she plans to serve a wide range of people through The Family Partnership’s PRIDE program.
What are your goals as the new PRIDE Director?
I look forward to using my passion for this work to serve a wide range of people. That includes youth, people from Indigenous backgrounds, all genders, and LGTBQ populations – these are the people most often marginalized by society.
I hope to build a strong and confident team that works cohesively together and fully understands the dynamics of prostitution/sex trafficking, addiction, and domestic violence so that we can better serve individuals who are impacted.
How did your previous work prepare you for this position?
For six years, I worked with the DIGNITY Program operated by Catholic Charities in Phoenix. I started as a volunteer and then became a supervisor and case manager of five long-term housing programs. I also managed and trained hundreds of volunteers. My experience as the program’s outreach coordinator will directly translate to the work that PRIDE does in Minneapolis, as I also supervised the DIGNITY street outreach team.
What makes it is so hard for people to leave commercial sexual exploitation?
Individuals become isolated because traffickers manipulate and control all aspects of their life. The trafficker’s goal is to separate each individual from their support systems and other people, so they become solely dependent on the trafficker.
“Trauma bonds” (the belief that your trafficker is the ONLY one that cares for you) keeps people in the life from leaving abusive relationships with their traffickers. Many individuals also struggle with chemical or relationship addiction, loss of income, or have no place of their own to live.Finally, the trafficker will seek out those who dare to leave.
What is the biggest misconception about sex trafficking?
Most people think it can’t happen to me or my family. But, all age groups, genders and races are recruited into commercial sexual exploitation. I recently had a friend whose daughter quit coming home after work. As I was talking with her, I realized her daughter was being groomed by a trafficker. The trafficker told the girl that she was 18 and didn’t need to tell her mom anything she was doing.
I told my friend to call the FBI and a local intervention program, but initially she replied, “But Mikki, that’s not happening to my daughter. Stop scaring me.” Eventually, my friend did contact the FBI and when her daughter came home, she said to me “Mikki, you were so right.” Isolation from support systems and secrecy are big warning signs. Often it is a choice of no choices as the trafficker grooms their victim to become totally dependent on them.
You have lived in most major cities in the U.S. and in the Bahamas, what are your ties to Minnesota?
I was born in Korea and adopted at the age of five and a half by a family in White Bear Lake, Minnesota and that is where I lived until I was 18. I came back to Minnesota to visit family and friends when one of my lifelong friends suggested I apply for this position at The Family Partnership. I love Minnesota’s four seasons and visiting the farmers markets.
A message from Molly Greenman:
On April 20, Derek Chauvin was found guilty on all three charges.
No verdict can bring back George Floyd nor erase the trauma caused to his family, African-Americans, and our community. However, we are grateful for this small measure of justice. We have no doubt that this was made possible in part by the activists who took to the streets in collective outrage and grief to demand justice and by all those who have worked tirelessly to assure that Derek Chauvin be held accountable.
While this verdict is a positive step, the journey towards racial justice and equity is long, and our work is not finished. The Family Partnership stands in solidarity with Black and Brown communities and our staff and clients who have experienced violence at the hands of the police. We remain committed to advocating for policy and systems change while working in partnership with communities experiencing disparities to build a more equitable Minnesota.
We also know that many in our communities may need support given the intensity and impact of the trial. We encourage you to take care of yourself and seek the support you need.
Stay safe. Take care of yourself. Take care of each other.
In honor of International Trans* Day of Visibility (March 31) we are sharing frequently asked questions about our Transgender Mental Health services to increase awareness of these important services to our diverse and remarkable Trans* community.
What is the guiding philosophy of Transgender Mental Health at The Family Partnership?
We believe that a person’s gender identity is theirs to define and express, whether or not they pursue or even want medical procedures such as hormone therapy or surgery. We use an informed consent model.
Who does The Family Partnership serve?
We work with children, adolescents, adults and families. We offer therapy in English, Spanish, Hmong and Creole.
What Transgender Mental Health specific services does The Family Partnership provide?
Wherever a person is on their gender journey – from just starting to explore gender to already living their most gender-authentic life – we support their goals and help them manage the stresses of life in a respectful, affirming therapy environment. Therapists provide support for a lot situations and feelings that can arise from striving to live a gender-authentic life in our culture, including:
- Gender exploration and identity development, including non-binary identity development
- Transition exploration and support, including informed consent letters for medical interventions
- Family and partner relationships
- Stress related to dysphoria, bullying, transphobia and other forms of social pressure
- Support for non-transitioning family members and partners
- Depression, anxiety, self-harm, trauma and other mental health issues
- Issues around sexual exploitation through our PRIDE program.
- We can also help people connect with other affirming providers, activities and resources in the community.
Can you share an example that demonstrates how The Family Partnership supports and honors the voices and experiences of transgender individuals and their families?
Yes! Here is one family’s story: Bob and Mary came to The Family Partnership seeking family therapy for themselves and their adult daughter, Sarah. Sarah had come out as Trans* and Bob and Mary were facing a steep learning curve. Through therapy, Bob and Mary learned how to be strong Trans* allies and support Sarah during her transition. This helped Sarah regain trust in her parents. All three developed important emotional regulation and communication skills, to improve the quality of their relationships. After a year and a half working together in family therapy, they felt ready to navigate family life on their own. Sarah returned to college, and Bob and Mary could not be prouder of her.
What is the process to obtain services?
To schedule an appointment or make a referral, please call our intake line at 612.728.2061 (English) or 612.728.2089 (Español).
Trans* definition includes terms like ambisexual, asexual, bi-gender and heterosocial. It is a collection that reflects our “increasingly complex understanding of these two distinct aspects of human experience,” says Oxford English Dictionary lexicographer Jonathan Dent.
The Constellation Fund Heroes breakfast February 10 celebrated The Family Partnership as one of the 2021 non-profit “SuperHeroes” grantees. The Constellation Fund supports non-profit organizations that “fight poverty and create impact” in the Twin Cities area.
The Constellation Fund described our Superpower as “Building partnerships based on trust to clear the path for family success”. This statement both describes how we do our work – in partnership with families, funders and other organizations – and our mission, to improve family health and well-being.
With the Constellation Fund’s support, we are partnering on a project to develop a more robust data-driven service model within our mental health programs. The Constellation Fund’s rigorous evidence-based approach matches our approach to creating change.
The Family Partnership developed and successfully piloted a new Executive Functioning Across Generations© curriculum designed to boost executive functioning and self-regulation skills with Minneapolis preschoolers and their caregivers.
Now, The Family Partnership is scaling up the preschool version of the intervention through large pilots with two Head Start centers of Family Service of San Antonio.
New partnerships with the Harvard Center on the Developing Child – Frontiers of Innovation (FOI) and the Children’s Home Society of America are testing the feasibility and scalability of new adaptations of the curriculum for virtual service delivery in home visiting and parent education programs.
Using FOI’s IDEAS Impact Framework™, a science-based innovation approach to program development, testing, and evaluation, organizations in four states (Minnesota, Wisconsin, Nebraska, and Delaware) are using rigorous evaluation measurement strategies for the pilots of the virtual home visiting and virtual parenting group adaptations. Pilots are occurring in 2020-2021. Through them, The Family Partnership and its partners continue to innovate in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, safely expanding service delivery while infusing cutting-edge brain science-informed strategies that increase program quality and impact.
The Family Partnership will also be offering home visiting organizations across Minnesota the opportunity to pilot the virtual home visiting adaptation of Executive Functioning Across Generations© in a second wave of pilots in 2021. We are pleased to have the MN Coalition for Targeted Home Visiting as a partner in recruiting home visiting program sites for this effort.
Why Innovation is Needed – and What Comes Next
It often takes 20 years for research findings to translate into practical improvements in human services. While there have been many research projects in the last 50 years exploring innovations in the early childhood field, the most significant and promising practice innovations are over 40 years old – well before all the recent discoveries in emerging brain science.
That is why Harvard Center on the Developing Child launched the Frontiers of Innovation initiative: to accelerate the translation from scientific discovery to practical application in the early childhood field. The goal is to accelerate incorporation of brain science into early childhood practice through small scale pilots that facilitate fast cycle evaluation, quick modification of approaches to increase impact even further, and scaling the strategies that prove effective.
The Family Partnership became a Frontiers of Innovation partner in 2020, joining an international community of researchers, practitioners, and evaluators seeking to innovate and accelerate our impact on children and families. We are thrilled that The Family Partnership is now part of the FOI community, and that the further development of Executive Functioning Across Generations will benefit from this opportunity.
Interested in learning more?
Contact us for information on piloting or scheduling a presentation:
John Everett Till
Senior Vice President of Strategy and Innovation, The Family Partnership
Email: jtill@thefamilypartnership.org
A message from Molly Greenman:
The murder of George Floyd is a horrific and incomprehensible tragedy. At The Family Partnership, we share the anger and sadness at the loss of another African-American man – a father, neighbor, and friend.
And, we understand the rage felt by many. “Hurt people, hurt people.” We also need to say it is clear where the problems lie – in systemic racism and inequity. Black Lives Matter. It is that clarity which sparked the protests everywhere, the truth that has haunted us for centuries captured on video in the murder of George Floyd.
The Family Partnership’s work is to provide time, space, and resources to help people heal—people who have been hurt and who are hurting on an individual level. Yet, people, especially black, brown, and immigrant people have been suffering at the collective level for generations.
Our beloved city is in pain, and that pain came out in many ways, including rioting in our own neighborhood. Now is the time that we, as community members, can come together to address that pain and respond powerfully to the murder of George Floyd.
The Family Partnership will continue our work on an individual level with families and children, to clear the path to success. We will also join with others to fight racism and inequity on a systems level to build a Twin Cities where all children and families, regardless of income or origin, reach their full potential.
The Family Partnership continues to support individuals and families in need of our services and resources by carefully following safety protocols during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Food and Groceries
- Instacart
- Hunger Solutions
- Metro Mobility and Transit Link grocery delivery
- Minneapolis Public Schools food distribution sites
- Restaurants with curbside pick-up and take-out
Benefits and Financial Assistance
- COVID-19 and unemployment benefits
- United Way
- IRS updates on COVID-19
- Emergency Assistance
- MNsure COVD-19 special enrollment
Transportation
Housing
Legal
Internet Service
Health and Wellness
- Y360– YMCA fitness program for adults & kids
- Just for Kix Digital Dance– dance classes
- Fitness Blender– workout videos
- CrossFit– workout videos
- Blogiates– workout videos
- Calm– resources to address stress
- Stress Help From The CDC– tips for reducing stress
- Fitbit– a 90 day free trial of premium for members
- Whil– 90 day free access to courses on stress management
- Random Acts of Kindness Foundation–kindness and positivity resources
- Yale– Science of Wellbeing Course
- WellRight– employee well-being resources
- Down Dog Yoga– free access for yoga classes
- Core Power Yoga– classes
- OrangeTheory Fitness– workout videos
- Blue Zones– guide for healthy eating and shopping
- WELCOA– wellness resources
- Sood– Resilient Option Course (Coupon Code – Resilience100)
- Wisdom Labs–- lessons and practices to navigate fear and anxiety
- Headspace– meditation, movement, & sleep exercises
- Balance– guided meditations
- Nike Training Club– video workouts
- Planet Fitness– video workouts
- Carrot Fit– collections of seven-minute workouts
- Gold’s AMP– video workouts
- Peleton– video workouts
List updated on 3/30/2020