LWV Roseville Area members, as part of the affordable housing study, toured Prior Crossing in St. Paul.  The facility is 44 studio appartments for homeless aged 16-24.  The Wilder Foundation provides on-site services, and the facility was built and is administered by Beacon Interfaith Housing Collaborative.  We were extraordinarily impressed by the services available to residents and its facilities.  Our tour leader, Denise Ellis, assured us that our voices are the most powerful and valuable resource we can use to promote the cause of affordable housing.

This photo shows what greets every resident when they enter their own apartment for the first time.  There will be a full article in the July-August issue of The Voter.  

After a seven year absence, LWV Roseville Area will have a presence in the Rosefest Parade on Monday, June 25.  We will be carrying the banner Marching is Not Enough. Vote. and probably other signs about voting.  We won’t try to do voter registration.  We’ll just be reminding the crowds that League is around and encouraging them to vote.  It should be a fun time.  The course starts at Roseville High School at 6:15 p.m. and we march to Lexington, turn left past Central Park and then turn on County Road C and finish at Civic Center Drive.  It’s one mile long.  Please contact June Stewart at juneret@comcast.net  or Sherry Hood at sherrychood@comcast.net to get more details and let us know you will be participating.  We hope to see you there.

LWV Roseville Area is taking a housing field trip.  On Wednesday, June 13, 11:00 a.m., we will visit Prior Crossing, a 44-studio apartment facility on University Avenue for homeless youth.  Built by Beacon Interfaith Housing Collaborative and managed by CommonBond, it is one of many Beacon residences for homeless and low-income individuals and families throughout the area. We will tour the facility and participate in a presentation that explores all of the housing options Beacon provides including a future development for men re-entering the community after incarceration, a group that has a particularly difficult time finding homes.

If you would like to attend please send your contact information to Bonnie Koch, toouray@aol.com.  Specific information about the meeting and parking will be sent out just prior to the date.  Those who are interested may carpool from the Roseville Oval parking lot.  Interested Leaguers will have an opportunity to lunch together after the meeting.

Everyone has a story to tell, and when you create opportunities for those stories to be told and listened to, something amazing starts to happen.  In early January, 20 men and women of color sat down at CTV Studios in Roseville to speak about a time when they have been personally discriminated against and how it has shaped their lives.  These stories have been turned into a film by CTV. 

A lively discussion was held during the March 20, 2019 event on topics of Redistricing, Democracy and the Census.  Our speaker was Alberder Hampton-Gillespie, from the board of Common Cause Minnesota, and she explained the concept and process of redistricting, what the problems associated with it are, and how the census affects it.  You will be able to view a video of the presentation and discussion on our YouTube channel soon.  In addition, Common Cause Minnesota provided documents that you may be interested in:

LWV Roseville Area, Do Good Roseville and the Roseville Area Schools are co-sponsoring an evening featuring local women from communities of color who will share their stories of campaigning, running, winning, and losing, what motivates their civic engagement, and how others can engage in the political landscape of the future. 

The Annual Meeting of the Roseville Area League of Women Voters is set for Tuesday, May 1, at Little Canada City Hall, 515 Little Canada Road East. A social hour will begin at 5 pm and dinner at 6 pm. The business meeting will begin at 7 pm.

Members will elect new officers, approve a budget, and set the local program for the 2018-19 year.

This year, we are offering a full dinner featuring roast pork for $25. A vegetarian option is also available for that price.

The Lillie News newspapers carried an extensive article about the February 20 panel discussion by city leaders on affordable housing goals of their respective cities.  You can view the article by Mike Munzenrider on their website here.

To view the videos of the presentation where officials shared their cities' affordable housing goals in their comprehensive plan updates, visit our YouTube channel. 

In observance of Earth day, the League of Women Voters Roseville Area will host a symposium celebrating steps Minnesota is taking toward energy efficiency as they affect air and water quality and our economy through lower costs and job creation.  Featured speaker is acclaimed climate and energy policy expert J. Drake Hamilton, Fresh Energy Science Policy Director.  Minneapolis-St. Paul Magazine named her “one of Minnesota’s 100 influential people who make things happen.”  She will highlight how solar and geothermal usage can affect a typical home in our community.

The Tuesday, April 17 meeting will be held from 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, 2561 N. Victoria, Roseville.  The event is free and open to the public.

CTV15 created a short video for theJanuary 29 North Suburban Beat.  The video highlights discussions at the  January 20 "Conversations with Constituents" sponsored by LWV Roseville Area.  Despite the bad weather, citizens came to discuss local issues with elected officials.  You can view the video at the North Suburban Beat Vimeo website.