MCA Monthly Workshop:
Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans (MACV) Overview
December 20, 2024
9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Via Zoom

*This is the workshop that was rescheduled from August 16th.

Sponsor Spotlight by Partners Behavioral Healthcare

Eligible for Board of Social Work CEU's

Sponsor Spotlight – Partners Behavioral Healthcare: Partners Behavioral Healthcare (PBH) is a leading provider of behavioral health services, specializing in substance use disorder treatment and mental health services for justice-involved clients through outpatient programs.

Presenter:  
Ben Stapp, Chief Growth Officer:  Ben Stapp is the Chief Growth Officer at Partners Behavioral Healthcare, with over a decade of experience in behavioral healthcare. He is a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor and has received awards such as the MARRCH Counselor of the Year in 2019 and the Distinguished Service Award in 2023 for his contributions to the field. Ben is also actively involved in advocating for behavioral health initiatives through his roles on the MARRCH Education Committee and the MCA Legislative Committee. 

Workshop:  Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans Overview:  This workshop will provide an overview of MACV programming and the services available to Veterans/Servicemembers experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Programs to be discussed will be Housing Stability, Employment, Outreach, Landlord Engagement, Financial Counseling, Rep-Payee Services, Subsidies, and Triage services. A specific emphasis will be placed on discussing MACV’s Justice Involved Veteran’s programing as well as our Vetlaw team’s work preventing criminal recidivism. 

Community partners will have a better understanding of service available to Veterans experiencing homelessness in order to make referrals rapidly to MACV.  

Presenters:
Kurt Johnson, Metro Regional Director:  Kurt Johnson is the Metro Regional Director for the Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans (MACV), a non-profit organization dedicated to ending veteran homelessness in Minnesota. Before joining MACV, Kurt worked as the Senior Outreach Director for the office of U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar. His experience there ranged from military and Veterans issues to transportation, public safety, law enforcement, foreign affairs, and local government. He has served in the Army National Guard for over 14 years and is currently an instructor for Minnesota’s Officer Candidate School. 

Samantha Braesch, Justice Involved Veterans Program Manager: Samantha Braesch is the Justice Involved Veterans (JIV) Program Manager for the Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans (MACV), a non-profit organization dedicated to ending veteran homelessness in Minnesota. She earned her Bachelor's degree in Corrections from Minnesota State University, Mankato, and is currently pursuing her Master's in Social Work at the University of St. Thomas. In addition to her experience with non-profit organizations supporting justice-impacted individuals, Samantha on her sixth year of serving in the Minnesota Army National Guard as a Combat Medic/Healthcare Specialist.

*Please add admin@ourmca.org to your e-mail safe sender list

*If you do not receive a confirmation e-mail, 
please contact the MCA office.  Call/text 651-515-3254
or e-mail mca-mn@hotmail.com  

Register for This Workshop Today!  
Registration will close at 4:00 p.m.2 days before event

MCA Monthly Workshop:
The Evolution and Impact of the Yellow Line Project 
January 19, 2025
9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Via Zoom

Sponsor Spotlight:
FieldWare  

Eligible for Board of Social Work CEU's

Sponsor Spotlight – FieldWare

Built on 20+ years of real-world industry experience, FieldWare software and mobile solutions deliver unprecedented process efficiencies using automation based on each customer's unique policies. Our product portfolio suite is designed to empower community supervision personnel and the public safety workforce with cloud-based tools that save time, reduce cost, and ensure compliance.

Sponsor Spotlight Presenter - Jason Rodriguez 

Jason Rodriguez is a FieldWare Account Executive with over 10 years of experience providing technology solutions to public safety agencies. His in-depth knowledge of what his customers need combined with his consultative selling style have enabled him to help agencies nationwide choose the right technologies based on their needs. A North Arizona University graduate and Delta Chi fraternity alumni, Jason is passionate about developing strong customer relationships that center on solving each customer's unique challenges. When not working, Jason enjoys golfing, traveling, and raising funds for the V Foundation for Cancer Research.

Workshop - The Evolution and Impact of the Yellow Line Project:   

Attendees will be provided with an overview of the Yellow Line Project and it’s adaptability to “like” projects in other rural counties.

The Yellow Line Project (YLP) is a multidisciplinary project based on the belief that timely identification of needs for individuals in contact with law enforcement and an offering of services and resources will produce positive outcomes. In 2023, the Minnesota Office of Management and Budget published a study evaluating the impact that YLP had on reducing short-term recidivism and changing utilization of mental health and substance use disorder treatment for Minnesotans with behavioral health needs who encounter law enforcement. Findings indicated YLP has a significant, positive impact on its goals of interrupting the cycle of recidivism and connecting people with services and supports. This presentation provides an overview of those findings and how YLP is using the results to improve care coordination and project outcomes.

Julie Stevermer - Blue Earth Co. Human Services

Matt DuRose - Mankato Dept. Public Safety

Tina Olson - Horizon Homes, Inc.

Molly Buckmister, Blue Earth Co. Human Services

Ian Schendel - Blue County Human Services

Paul Barta - Blue County Sherriff's Office

*Please add admin@ourmca.org to your e-mail safe sender list

*If you do not receive a confirmation e-mail, 
please contact the MCA office.  Call/text 651-515-3254
or e-mail mca-mn@hotmail.com  

Register for This Workshop Today!  
Registration will close at 4:00 p.m.2 days before event