Last Week MN Representative Samantha Sencer-Mura & Senator Zaynab Mohamed stopped into the ReUse Warehouse Store to quickly chat about their Bill to support Better Futures Minnesota. Watch video: On January 30th, PJ Hubbard our CEO & President spoke in-front of the MN House Committee on Jobs and Economic Development about the work Better Futures […]
Reclaim the Outdoors! Build, Paint and Bird with the The Longfellow Community Council, Better Futures MN, Black Table Arts Co-op & Urban Bird Collective. We're coming together as recipients of the Hennepin County Green Partners Grant, to build, paint and install Leopold benches in the community, followed by environmental bird walks. BIPOC are encouraged to […]
Looking for a holiday gift that supports Minnesota Environment? Check out the ReUse Minnesota's holiday Gift Guide for gift ideas for family, friends and co-workers. Click to view the whole guide: Holiday Gift Guide Reuse Minnesota was founded in 2012 and is a member-based nonprofit that builds partnerships and supports a vibrant network of reuse […]
Work to de-construct the first of three tax forfeited buildings in St. Louis County began Wednesday in partnership with a non-profit organization called Better Futures Minnesota. Through Better Futures Minnesota, materials from forfeited buildings that would otherwise go to waste are salvaged and men who want to construct better lives for themselves can through the de-construction of […]
Minnesota's mass incarceration problem While the national prison population is on the decline, Minnesota's numbers are rising. A May 2017 Vera Institute of Justice study found that Minnesota was one of just 15 states (out of 45 reporting) that saw both increased prison populations and rising costs between 2010 and 2015. In fact, Minnesota's prison […]
Last month, the American Civil Liberties Union released its report on the successes of corporate policies geared to giving formerly incarcerated Americans a fair chance at re-entry. The results show what we at Better Futures have known all along: Second chances are good for people, good for communities, and good for businesses. Today, 70 million Americans—one in […]
In Minnesota, nearly 100,000 people are under probation—a form of supervised release that often includes strict daily check-ins with supervising officers. In fact, Minnesota has one of the highest probation rates in the country, leaving some people under supervised probation for 10, even 20 years. According to a recent Star Tribune story, Minnesota is tied […]
Across the world, forward-thinking cities, municipalities, and lawmakers are thinking about landfill waste in new ways. In July, for example, Portland, Ore. became the first city in the country to ensure that valuable materials from demolished houses are salvaged for reuse instead of crushed and landfilled. Here in the Twin Cities, landfilling is becoming a growing problem, according […]
Across Minnesota, older homes and barns are being demolished to make way for new buildings or farmland. When buildings are demolished, harmful chemicals and pollutants—like lead and asbestos—are released in the air. In addition, when buildings such as old barns are burned, the old-growth wood is not only wasted, but it produces noxious smoke that's harmful […]
This week, the Senate is expected to vote on a bill that would, among other things, address the prevalence of people in U.S. jails and prisons who are suffering from mental illness. The "21st Century Cures" Bill encompasses the Mental Health and Safe Communities Act, which authorizes funding for services related to mental health in […]
