Making connections with immigrant communities

Data help
provide evidence of growing immigrant populations in Minnesota

"Immigrants are putting down roots in many greater Minnesota communities. It’s not uncommon to hear Spanish being spoken or see cultural foods at the local grocery store. While these informal observations of community changes are valuable, incorporating data into our work provides concrete evidence to support the demographic changes we are seeing in our communities."

Autumn Macias
Executive Director

Conexiones's Story

Making strides for Minnesota's African immigrant communities 

Data help
uncover economic disparities

"The Minnesota Compass data brought a better understanding of the African immigrant communities in the Twin Cities and some rural areas with a concentration of African immigrants. It demonstrated the need for more economic development programs for African immigrant communities."

Idris Mohamed
Director of Business Development and Housing

African Economic Development Solutions's Story

Teaching about poverty's impact, one community at a time

Data help
show poverty's impact on Minnesotans and communities

"It’s our duty to educate others about what poverty is and what it looks like."

Susan Munson
Child Care Program Manager, MAHUBE-OTWA

MAHUBE-OTWA Community Action Partnership's Story

Sharing the narrative of Minnesota's BIPOC communities

Data help
with the narrative of Minnesota's BIPOC communities for advocacy and policy-making

"Through data, we understand BIPOC realities such as pollution levels in neighborhoods, property ownership, levels of education, and so much more. We use data to learn, analyze our communities' realities, and include them in building policy-making."

Nicole Donoso
Policy & Democracy Organizer

Voices for Racial Justice's Story

Using data to help end hunger in greater Minnesota

Data help
paint a picture of the people in specific communities, and their needs

"If we’re going to complete our mission of ending hunger through community partnerships, we need to know where the need is, who it is that is experiencing the need, and the best way to reach out to that particular sector." 

Charlene Graff
Agency Partner Specialist

Second Harvest Heartland's Story

Advance Thief River measures quality of life

Data help
promote community through quality of life indicators

"We really wanted to quantify the things that made us stand out, and also where to grow. So we created a snapshot of indicators that, over time, we’ll be able to see progress, change, and where we are gaining—and losing—ground."

Michelle Landsverk
Director, Advance Thief River

Advance Thief River's Story

Investing in entrepreneurs to transform neighborhoods from within 

Data help
help inform strategic plan

"We've relied on Minnesota Compass data to inform our work and strategic plan. The information we most commonly use includes racial demographics, disparities in income levels, availability of jobs, and median income levels."

Elisa Pluhar
chief development and communications officer

Neighborhood Development Center (NDC) 's Story

Data pinpoints county needs

Data help
discern county needs to determine if programs meet these needs

"We use data in many different ways. To understand the true needs of our county, data are important. When organizations apply to us, we need data to help us discern if the need they are working on is real. The data also show us what issues provide us with an opportunity."

Melissa Mulder
executive director

Wright County United Way's Story

Neighbors helping neighbors–everybody benefits

Data help
understand what makes a community unique

"We used the Compass data to understand more about the unusual bi-modal age distribution in our resident population. Nearly half of residents are age 18-24."

Stephanie Hankerson
community organizer

SECIA's Story

Initiating conversations on policy and partnerships in Phillips neighborhood

Data help
provide facts to amplify policy recommendations

"With...basic data in mind, we are drafting recommendations to increase the well-being of the Phillips residents through accessing healthy food, growing their own food, and physical activity."

Rosa Tock
project coordinator

Waite House/Pillsbury United Communities's Story

Building a bread oven to feed neighbors

"Since using Compass data, we’ve become more aware of issues right in the neighborhood, such as the diversity of income levels and poverty, and as a result we have implemented more social justice-related programs to assist lower-income members of the neighborhood."

Ross Hackenmiller
outreach coordinator

Hamline Church United Methodist's Story

Standing up for art in North Minneapolis

Data help
to strengthen evaluation and write more powerful grant proposals

"We used the North Minneapolis neighborhood data to strengthen our evaluation by gaining context and understanding."

Jenna Yanish
development and outreach specialist

HACER's Story

Using demographics for parks and trails planning

Data help
blaze new trails—literally

"By understanding the community demographics, we are better able to strategize our public engagement and assess community needs. This is important as we look to see who are underrepresented groups in park/trail visitation."

Connor Schaefer
Planner

Washington County Parks 's Story

 Understanding a community's needs by learning more about its residents

Data help
solve problems in innovative ways, using an equity lens

"Minnesota Compass is the best source for getting demographic data for our analysis of neighborhoods and communities in Minneapolis. In particular, this data helps us complete analysis related to our racial equity impact analysis work."

Nick Brambilla
Business data analyst

City of Minneapolis–Dept. of Regulatory Services's Story

Aligning stories and facts to get a clearer picture

Data help
shed a light on the numbers behind the stories

"Minnesota Compass’s data ... add credibility to 'anecdotal stories' that many people who are hard data minded wouldn’t believe if I couldn’t back it up with numbers."

Kindra Ramaker, PMP 

Kindra Ramaker's Story

Using data to develop a strategic action plan

Data help
identify community concerns to help plan for the future

"Minnesota Compass adds value to the organization by having a constant source of reliable data that are easily consumable and comparable across different geographies."

Samantha Heskin
Data Analyst, Stearns County Human Services

Central MN Alliance's Story

How are you using Minnesota Compass data? Whether it's for strategic planning, policymaking, community organizing, advocacy, or other ways, we hope you'll share your story to inspire others!

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