Last month, Northfield Police Chief Mark Elliott spoke about the benefits of a new county program that has embedded social workers, or
community-based coordinators, with the county law enforcement agencies to assist on calls involving a person dealing with a mental health crisis or a chemical health emergency.
Now Rice County itself is touting the program as a transformative solution to a problem that has plagued law enforcement for decades.
Last week, the county issued a statement regarding the program with some startling statistics. It said that current figures are not readily available, but a 2006 Bureau of Justice report found that nearly 1.3 million people with mental health conditions were incarcerated in the United States. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, one in four people with serious mental illness has been arrested at some point in their lifetime, leading to more than 2 million bookings each year.
The Community-Based Coordinator program is led by Behavioral Health Services Unit Supervisor Dante Hummel-Langerfeld, a Rice County native and licensed social worker with years of experience as a chemical dependency counselor. Three coordinators have been brought in by the county, one each to work with the Faribault Police Department, The Northfield Police Department and the Rice County Sheriff’s Department
Among the team’s goals is to get residents who are known to law enforcement and dealing with mental and/or chemical health issues the help they need before their behaviors escalate and become criminal. It’s not uncommon for police to encounter arrestees several times before they’re charged criminally. Those encounters, according to Hummel-Langerfeld, are opportunities for coordinators to reach out and help those in crisis access needed services and assistance, reducing the likelihood they’ll resort to illegal behavior. Coordinators will also follow up with clients, something law enforcement rarely has time to do.
Hummel-Langerfeld said she is impressed that Rice County chose to institute the program. Long term, she said, she expects the results to be improved quality of life for Rice County residents and decreased strain on law enforcement.
New Faribault Food Shelf is a Community Action Center initiative
The Community Action Center has a new food shelf and resource center in Faribault. 
In early 2020, one of Faribault’s two food shelves closed as the pandemic hit families hard, leaving what CAC Community Engagement Coordinator Hillary Lamberty described as a “huge vacuum of need.” Students didn’t have the same access to school lunches, forcing parents to stay home from work, so it was hard for many families to even afford food.
A group of 20 organizations including Allina Health, the Faribault Youth Initiative, Rice County, and the Healthy Community Initiative asked the CAC to source food for distribution in Faribault.
So, during the summer of 2020, Lamberty said “an army of volunteers” distributed food from six different community locations. Families drove up to these outdoor locations and collected a box of food to take home. But what started as an emergency reaction to the pandemic, became a permanent expansion of CAC food services to Faribault.
Lamberty said, “the pandemic continued and continued and continued and the need for food was not going away. And so, by the winter, we’re out there in freezing temperatures. All bundled up, standing outside.”
Lamberty explained that at first, handing out identical boxes of food to everyone was the best they could do. However, it became clear that a physical location was needed that could function year-round, in any weather, where people could choose their food.
Lamberty said, “that is the dignified way to access food: that people get to choose what they want.”
So, the CAC found a location and led focus groups with 500 community members. The feedback they received resulted in creation of The Community Action Center of Faribault, which features a food market and a resource center.
“So now that we have food running pretty smoothly, now we’re able to kind of look at what are these other things. So, we actually have a position posted right now. That’s the Faribault Community Resource Manager. And that person is going to be the bridge between ‘Here’s the needs that we’re hearing, here’s what the community is asking for beyond food. Here’s the good, wonderful, generous community. And how do we make these things work together?’”
The CAC continues to respond to needs identified by the community. Lamberty said the CAC’s commitment to food access in Faribault is just the beginning. Hiring a Faribault Community Resource Manager is the next step towards providing more of the support residents of Faribault need, like rental and housing assistance.
To find out more about services and volunteer opportunities at the CAC in Faribault and Northfield, visit communityactioncenter.org.
Council will discuss Conversion Therapy band and interview Ward 1 candidates
And the Northfield City Council will meet tonight in the Council Chambers in City Hall. 
Among the many items on the agenda will be the second reading of an ordinance banning the use of Conversion Therapy with minors and vulnerable adults within the city limits of Northfield. The second reading is required for full passage of the ordinance. The Council will also discuss a fine schedule for conversion therapy offences.
Prior to the regular meeting, the Council will convene at 5pm to interview two candidates to fill the vacant seat in the City’s First Ward. Mr. Sean Allen and Mr. Geoffrey Wheler will each discuss their candidacy with the Council. A decision will be made, and the new appointee will be sworn in prior to next week’s work session.
As always, the city and the council are asking to hear opinions and comments from the public. Anyone who wishes to do so is invited to come to the meeting and address the council on any topic they see fit. Those wishing to voice their opinions without addressing the council should email their councilors directly or post a comment through the eComment button on the “Agendas” section of the City Council website.
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
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