Live - Standish-Ericsson Neighborhood Association

Why Sell T-Shirts?

Recent events have opened eyes, hearts and minds to the overwhelming disparities experienced by our BIPOC neighbors and the very tenuous status of so many of our small businesses.

Proceeds from the purchase of these t-shirts will provide technical and financial support to the small business in the West of the Rail Business Association service area who are reeling from the recent civil unrest in the wake of the George Floyd murder, as well as the restrictions imposed by Covid-19, and providing financial support for SENA to continue outreach, education and engagement activities to build stronger and more resilient communities.

We will do this by focusing on these priorities:

Identifying at risk businesses and helping them to retool for the new reality
Provide immediate support for repairing and restoring storefronts that were damaged or vandalized
Promote and elevate the profiles of BIPOC owned business in our area
Hosting opportunities for stakeholders to gather, learn and take action in addressing Racial Equity
Provide direct financial support by way of grants to neighborhood groups working to serve marginalized members of our community

Thank you for wearing your hearts on your sleeve, or in this case your chest, and for supporting our work.

Plan Modification Frequently Asked Questions:

Q. Is a plan modification a loan and does SENA have to pay it back?

A. Plan modifications are not loans. This is money that is already earmarked for the Standish and Ericsson neighborhoods by the City. It is ours to spend and does not have to be paid back.

Q. Why is the money being allocated for general operating expenses instead of programs?

A. Once we submit a request to the city to move funds from our program income pool for use in other areas, we are required to put the money “under contract”. This means that we must decide at the time of the transfer exactly how we want to spend it, down to the dollar. We are then locked into that plan. By placeing the money in our general operating fund, it provides SENA and the community with greater flexibilty on how and when to spend the money and positions us to better respond to emerging needs and opportunties.

Q. What happens if the neighborhood votes no to a plan modification request?

A. Plan modification requests for over $25,000 require a broad show of support from the neighborhoods for the City to grant the request. Requests under $25k only require a 20 day public notice period, but no vote. Some organizations move funds in amounts less than $25k in order to avoid the public approval process. At SENA we believe that acting in good faith means being completely transparent. If the community says no, then the request does not go through and we have to either look for other resources or make amendments to our budget.

Q. How much money is in the program income fund?

Program income is derived from home improvement and other loans that were provided to residents through the Neighborhood Revitalization Program that was launched in the early 1990’s to address the deteriorating housing stock and the exidous of middle class homeowners to the suburbs. Some loan programs were for forgiveable loans if the recipient resided in the home for at least a 10 year period – some were paid back in full upon sale of the home, and other were revolving loans with low interest rates that were paid back over time. So, the short answer to the question “how much money is in the fund?” is…

That depends. As of June 1st 2020, there is $79,000 in the fund. We also have our current loan programs with $113,800 invested and an additional $125,100 available.

Our Neighborhoods

The Standish & Ericsson neighborhoods are in south Minneapolis. The Standish & Ericsson neighborhoods are bound on the north by 36th Street, on the east by Hiawatha Avenue, on the south by Minnehaha Parkway and on the west by Cedar Avenue.

The area was considered the outskirts of the city until immigrants, mostly Swedish and Norwegian, began building their homes early in the 1900s, creating the neighborhoods now known as Standish & Ericsson. Today, new transit-oriented developments are being built along the Hiawatha Avenue corridor.

Standish & Ericsson are stable, thriving, yet quiet neighborhoods. Community organizations such as churches, the YMCA, SENA and block clubs encourage active citizen participation. Beautiful parks, playgrounds, recreational facilities, schools (both public and private) and the historic Roosevelt Community Library are amenities for singles and families. Thriving small businesses offer convenience and personal attention to shoppers, while all benefit from the neighborhoods’ low crime rate, safety and sense of security.