Pandemic accelerates Hennepin County's disparity reduction efforts

The COVID-19 pandemic is accelerating Hennepin County's work to reduce racial disparity through federal recovery funding, but people of color in the county still lag greatly behind in housing, education, income and health issues.

The findings were part of a 48-page report on disparity reduction goals released earlier in November, which also highlighted new initiatives such as advanced racial equity training and a race equity advisory council, along with a climate action plan that addresses the health impact on vulnerable communities. The report also credited raising the minimum wage to $20 an hour for county employees as a way to help ease disparities within its ranks.

The county allocated $240 million in what officials called "a-once-in-a-generation" federal funding package that will develop affordable housing, expand digital services and deliver greater health care options to poorer neighborhoods. The county board declared racism a public health crisis.

"The federal resources expedited our strategies from a funding perspective,"

said. "What would have taken many years to accomplish, we can do it in a short period of time. We are pulling people away from dependency of the government to self-sufficiency."

While the county refocused its commitment to racial disparity throughout each department with its "Our North Star" program in 2013, the pandemic underscored the continuing barriers to reduce racial disparities. The pandemic response of the county on vaccinations, transportation, emergency rent assistance and helping the homeless was done through a lens of racial equity, Hough said.

"It's connecting the dots," he said. "An education leads to a living wage job. Then health insurance and housing can fall into place."

Education is one of seven interconnection areas the county has targeted to close the disparity gap. The third-grade math proficiency of white students is 35% higher than that of students of color, the report said. Asian students who graduate from high school have a higher median income than white students.

The county now offers a tutoring program at schools, a drop-in tutoring program at 13 libraries and spent federal funds to buy Chromebooks for 2,700 youths.

People of color are also overrepresented in low-paying jobs, the report said. As they earn more, they lose support such as child care, making it nearly impossible to become self-sufficient. The unemployment rate of Indigenous people is 4 times higher than white people.

To help address employment and income disparities, the county has services like the Pathways program to guide residents to new careers and match employers with a diverse, trained pool of candidates — including people involved in the justice system. Pathways has expanded to include jobs in construction, clerical and human services, building operations, transportation and forestry.

Health disparities in communities of color became magnified during the pandemic. A resident's ZIP code is a better predictor of life expectancy than their genetics, the report said. Socially disadvantaged populations experience preventable health disparities with a greater burden of disease, injury, violence, and death. The county's greatest needs are often found in communities of color, the report found.

The county dedicated federal pandemic funding to support food security, child and maternal wellness programs and mental health services.

"Providing access is not enough to change the health of a community," Stella Whitney-West, CEO of NorthPoint Health & Wellness Center, commented in the report. "Communities are more challenged with greater needs and more complex social constructs."