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Hennepin County > Overview > Addressing disparities in Hennepin County

Addressing disparities in Hennepin County

Our commitment to disparity reduction

The work of our organization deeply focuses on the people of Hennepin County. While many of our residents enjoy the great quality of life this region gets recognized for, we cannot be blind to the fact that stark disparities exist — particularly for our residents of color.

Hennepin County defines disparities as differences in areas of life that result in one group having a disproportionate burden of negative life outcomes. It’s our commitment that we will reduce these disparities.

Communities thrive when everyone thrives

Reducing any individual disparity can leverage positive change and help reduce disparities in other areas. If one gear turns, they all move. These seven domains are interconnected and integral to reducing disparities.

Shifting our lens

We see disparities every day in the places our critical support services serve people who are not faring well. We have an obligation to work toward eliminating disparities by whatever means we have. Here, in Hennepin County, inequities in education, employment, health, housing, income, justice and transportation are starkest between residents of color and their White counterparts. When we start our work from this shared perspective, shifting our guiding lens to one that is focused on a commitment to addressing these disparities, we can see the places, partnerships, programs and services where we have a responsibility to act.

Contact

disparityreduction@hennepin.us

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Improving outcomes for all

In 2017 County Administrator David Hough charged Hennepin County departments to prioritize disparity reduction through all lines of business. The charge: that all work begin from a commitment to reduce disparities among the residents we serve in the ways and places we have influence.

Since then, the county has taken many steps, including:

  • Identifying seven disparity domain (education, employment, income, health, housing, transportation, justice) areas where county action can have the most impact
  • Creating a legislative platform that seeks to reduce system disparities, such as reducing the number of families of color involved in the child protection system
  • Addressing the conditions that drive involvement into the justice system and developing new strategies to assist ex-offenders as they integrate back home
  • Targeting funding, policies and service delivery to disrupt racism in the response to people experiencing homelessness
  • Using purchasing power to drive economic development in disadvantaged communities
  • Training workers for tomorrow’s jobs while helping clients be more self-sufficient
  • Adopting a Racial Equity Impact Tool to consider how different racial and ethnic groups will be affected by a proposed action or decision and provide a systematic way to engage the voices of those affected by decisions, surface unintended consequences of decisions before they are made, and reveal a wider range of options for policy choices
  • Creating a Race Equity Advisory Council (ongoing in 2020) to advise the county board on the county’s vision and strategy on reducing racial disparities and advancing racial equity throughout Hennepin County
News

On Tuesday, June 30, the county board voted to declare racism a public health crisis in Hennepin County. Due to racism, Black, Indigenous and People of Color in Hennepin County statistically have poorer educational outcomes, earn less, and are less likely to own homes or have access to quality health care and jobs than White people. These disparities have lifelong impacts, including higher disease rates, and, as we’re seeing now, higher rates of COVID-19. Naming racism as a systemic cause to disparities is key to continue to move this work forward.

Read the news release.

Find the June 30 meeting at board meeting videos.

Read County Administrator David Hough's response (PDF, 4MB).

Stories on work reducing disparities

  • As coronavirus spreads in Minnesota, it exposes racial inequalities (Star Tribune, April 22, 2020)
  • Hennepin County agrees to sweeping improvements in child protection (Star Tribune, December 18, 2019)
  • 2019 Odyssey Conference Award winner: Homeless ACCESS team, Hennepin County (YouTube)
  • It’s more than just detox — Hennepin County has a new alternative to jail or ER for mental health crises (MPR News, September 4, 2019)
  • Plymouth police launch mental health initiative (CCX Media, July 18, 2019)
Race Equity Advisory Council

Annual reports

  • 2023-2024 annual report (PDF, 2MB)
  • 2022-2023 annual report (PDF, 3MB)
  • 2021-2022 annual report (PDF, 1MB)
  • 2020-2021 annual report (PDF, 1MB)

Race Equity Advisory Council meeting

The public is welcome to attend meetings in-person at the NorthPoint Conference Center.

Race Equity Advisory Council meetings are held:

  • Every third Thursday of the month
  • 6 to 8 p.m.
  • NorthPoint Conference Center
    1256 Penn Avenue North, Suite 5200, Minneapolis, MN 55411
    NorthPoint Conference Center map

Members of the public are welcome to send questions and comments to the council at reac@hennepin.us.

Mission

The mission of the Race Equity Advisory Council is to strengthen the county’s goal of disparity reduction and to advise the county board and county administration on the county's vision and strategy focused on reducing racial disparities and advancing racial equity throughout Hennepin County.

Member list

Race Equity Advisory Council member list (PDF, 1MB)

Charter

Race Equity Advisory Council Charter (PDF, 1MB)

Bylaws

Race Equity Advisory Council Bylaws (PDF, 1MB)

Meetings

March 2025

  • March 2025 minutes (PDF, 1MB)

February 2025

  • February 2025 minutes (PDF, 1MB)

January 2025

  • January 2025 minutes (PDF, 1MB)

November 2024

  • November 2024 minutes (PDF, 1MB)

October 2024

  • October 2024 minutes (PDF, 1MB)

September 2024

  • September 2024 minutes (PDF, 1MB)

August 2024

  • August 2024 minutes (PDF, 1MB)

July 2024

  • July 2024 minutes (PDF, 1MB)

June 2024

  • June 2024 minutes (PDF, 1MB)

May 2024

  • May 2024 minutes (PDF, 1MB)

April 2024

  • April 2024 minutes (PDF, 1MB)

March 2024

  • March 2024 minutes (PDF, 1MB)

February 2024

  • February 2024 minutes (PDF, 1MB)

January 2024

  • January 2024 minutes (PDF, 1MB)

November 2023

  • November 2023 minutes (PDF, 1MB)

October 2023

  • October 2023 minutes (PDF, 1MB)

September 2023

  • September 2023 minutes (PDF, 1MB)

August 2023

  • August 2023 minutes (PDF, 1 MB)

July 2023

  • July 2023 minutes (PDF, 1MB)

June 2023

  • June 2023 minutes (PDF, 1MB)

May 2023

  • May 2023 minutes (PDF, 1MB)

April 2023

  • April 2023 minutes (PDF, 1MB)

March 2023

  • March 2023 minutes (PDF, 1MB)

February 2023

  • February 2023 minutes (PDF, 1MB)

January 2023

  • January 2023 minutes (PDF, 1MB)

December 2022

  • December 2022 minutes (PDF, 1MB)

November 2022

  • November 2022 minutes (PDF, 1MB)

October 2022

  • October 2022 minutes (PDF, 1MB)

September 2022

  • September 2022 agenda (PDF, 1MB)

August 2022

  • August 2022 agenda (PDF, 1MB)
  • August 2022 minutes (PDF, 1MB)

July 2022

  • July 2022 agenda (PDF, 1MB)
  • July 2022 minutes (PDF, 1MB)

June 2022

  • June 2022 agenda (PDF, 1MB)
  • June 2022 minutes (PDF, 1MB)

May 2022

  • May 2022 agenda (PDF, 1MB)
  • May 2022 minutes (PDF, 1MB)

April 2022

  • April 2022 agenda (PDF, 1MB)
  • April 2022 minutes (PDF, 1MB)

March 2022

  • March 2022 agenda (PDF), 1MB
  • March 2022 minutes (PDF, 1MB)

February 2022

  • February 2022 agenda (PDF, 1MB)
  • February 2022 minutes (PDF, 1MB)

January 2022

  • January 2022 agenda (PDF, 1MB)
  • January 2022 minutes (PDF, 1MB)
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