Oak Tree Support Services

Please join us in congratulating Joshua on receiving his new work badge and successful completion of 1 month of employment!!

Fantastic Milestone, Joshua!! Great work!! We're all proud of you!!

Advocacy for our persons served is hugely important to us here at Oak Tree Support Services!

Watch Chelsea Marten, Director of Housing, and Deirdre White, CEO/Owner of Oak Tree Support Services testify in the MN Senate regarding the need for additional funding for Transitional Moving Services!

SF2968: OTSS Advocating for Transitional Moving Services Funding

Come check us out!

March 20-22, 2024 at the Minneapolis Convention Center

Join us this Saturday! Many helpful services and resources will be available. Spread the word!

Today is the 46th anniversary of the start of the 504 Sit-In. This was a historic, 26-day protest demanding the enforcement of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. Section 504 stated that programs receiving federal funding could not discriminate based on disability. Eight sit-ins happened around the country, with the biggest one in San Francisco with more than 150 people. It was the longest non-violent occupation of a federal building in United States history. Section 504 was signed on April 28, 1977. It paved the way for the Americans with Disabilities Act two decades later.

Kitty Cone was one of the organizers of the San Francisco Sit-In. She reflected on the legacy of the protest:

“Even though 504 wasn’t strongly enforced, the sit-in was of historic importance. For the first time we had concrete federal civil rights protection. We had shown ourselves and the country through network TV that we, the most hidden, impoverished, pitied group of people in the nation, were capable of waging a deadly serious struggle that brought about profound social change. The sit-in was a truly transforming experience the likes of which most of us had never seen before or ever saw again. Those of us with disabilities were imbued with a new sense of pride, strength, community, and confidence. For the first time, many of us felt proud of who we were. And we understood that our isolation and segregation stemmed from societal policy, not from some personal defects on our part and our experiences with segregation and discrimination were not just our own personal problems.”

Advocates push to end subminimum wage for Minnesotans with disabilities Every day, thousands of Minnesotans with disabilities go to work and, chances are, they are earning less than minimum wage.

We are hiring a Housing Coordinator for St. Cloud and the surrounding area! If you are interested and would like to know more, please reach out to us at [email protected] or call 651-797-2438.

We are incredibly proud of our ES Team and clients! Congratulations Shane on this major milestone! See below what our ES Lead, Debbie, would like to share.

"Shane collects carts at Walmart despite the rain, heat, snow, or sub-zero temps … with the support of OTSS Employment Specialists! Shane has been a client of ours for almost two years, and we were recently able to present him with a certificate for achieving three years of employment at his job. We're proud of him, but most importantly he's proud of himself! Way to go, Shane, and the ES team who braves the weather with him!"-Debbie

We would like to thank our Employment team for contributing to this record!

Employment Of People With Disabilities Hits Record High The employment rate for Americans with disabilities has reached an all-time high, federal officials say.

Rest in Peace to The Mother of Disability Rights, Judy Heumann.

To say she left this world a better place is an understatement. Judy Heumann is the one who blazed the trail for disability rights.

We can thank her for monumental legislation such as Section 504, The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, The Americans With Disabilities Act, The Rehabilitation Act and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The fire she lit will lead the way for generations to come.

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Image Description: a navy and teal gradient background with white text has a black and white picture of Judy Heumann taking up the majority of the right half; she is an older woman in a power wheelchair smiling with her mouth wide. To the left is white text “Judy Heumann 12/18/47-3/4/23 Rest in Power.” A white Diversability symbol sits in the upper right corner.
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*Picture, picture description, and portions of the caption are from the Diversability page. *

Minnesota Housing Consultant Application Background Minnesota Housing is currently looking for 12 consultants to join their efforts to development their next strategic plan, which guide the agency’s work for the next four years. Minnesota Housing is a state agency that effectively serves as the state’s housing bank, providing loans and...

Happy Valentine's Day!

What is the origin of Black History Month?

In 1915, historian Carter G. Woodson founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH), now known as the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). The organization is dedicated to researching and promoting achievements by African Americans and other people of African descent. Since its inception, ASALH has promoted year-round and year-after-year study of African American history.

The group launched Negro History Week in February of 1926 as a coordinated effort to develop lessons and encourage the teaching of Black history across the nation's communities and public schools. In time, mayors and other leaders issued annual proclamations recognizing "Negro History Week” and many communities expanded beyond weeklong activities. Public intellectuals, church, and civic organizations, the Black press, politicians and historians promoted the initiative, which evolved in the 1960s amid the national discourse on race and identity.

Negro History Week formally changed into what would become Black History Month by 1976 when President Gerald Ford extended the observation to a full month - one honoring the contributions of black Americans to this day. Since then, every U.S. president has recognized the month and endorsed a specific theme set by ASALH. The theme for 2023 is Black Resistance.
(Information provided from https://nmaahc.si.edu/)

For more information about the theme for 2023, please visit https://asalh.org/black-history-themes/

Eviction filings soared in 2022 and continue into new year Last year saw 18,855 evictions filed in Minnesota courts.

Our OTSS Employment Team has been honored to have been chosen to partner with Project SEARCH this year!

Our ES Project SEARCH team has been meeting with eight students at the Capitol site since September, and is assisting with skill-building, self-advocacy counseling, work readiness training, and job exploration.

They will be helping these students prepare for the workforce and find meaningful jobs that they can start after graduation.

If you know a student who qualifies for next year's program, please encourage them to apply or join us at the Information Night!

Please see the attached flyers for more information or send us an email at [email protected]

"Pandemic-related programs, such as rental assistance and temporary eviction bans, have ended.

'Almost to the day and minute those measures went away, we’ve seen this return to high levels of shelter use,' said David Hewitt, Hennepin County’s director of housing stability.

Hewitt said the county is working to scale up its response to meet the growing need."

Hennepin County sees 268% increase in families experiencing homelessness According to the county's most recent shelter report, 217 families were sleeping in shelters in mid-November, which marks a 268% increase from the same time last year.

As the snow falls, the Minnesota Council on Disability reminds you to keep your sidewalks clear of snow and ice. Sidewalks and curb ramps are lifelines for many people with disabilities and our senior community. When not cleared, they can limit their ability to get groceries, get prescriptions, go to work, and attend local gatherings.

Improperly cleared snow can pile up and make sidewalks and curb ramps impassable. People using wheelchairs and other mobility devices must often travel in the street alongside traffic, a potentially life-threatening situation.

Learn what you can do to help keep sidewalks and curb cuts clear.

https://disability.state.mn.us/technical-assistance/snow-removal/

From the OTSS family to yours, Happy Thanksgiving!

Do you want to get involved in advocacy but don't know how?

Join us for our annual Public Policy and Advocacy Summit!

At this event, you will learn

📣 Tactics to engage in legislative advocacy
📣 How to tell a compelling story to create change
📣 Ways to advocate for MSSA's legislative priorities

Learn more & register: https://bit.ly/PubPolicySummit2022

Minnesotans with disabilities flex political muscle ahead of midterm elections One of the state's largest voting blocs is seeking to build momentum through a new wave of organizing.

The goal of Project SEARCH is competitive employment. They will feature four Metro area Project SEARCH Programs. Come meet the Project SEARCH instructors to find out more information! To sign up for the Virtual Open House Night, you must complete registration by today, Monday October 24th.

For more information visit https://mn.gov/projsrch/

Here is a testimonial from one of our Employment Specialists Lisa Simon, and her son/client Noah ! Another example of how the amazing staff here at OTSS can make such a difference in peoples lives. We are thrilled to have both Lisa and Noah apart of our OTSS family.

"Noah is absolutely AMAZING me with his willingness to try all of these new things so quickly!

He is learning the tasks and even doing all of his own communication (with prompts - but that fact that he is talking is CRAZY unheard-of this early in to something new!)

Last night he learned how to use the cart pusher and got a double thumbs up from Osee for how many carts he brought in during his outside hour.

I also taught him how to find the empty cardboard and use the cardboard compactor. He was so mesmerized by the giant auger that I had to remind him we couldn't stand and watch it every time we filled it with boxes 🤣🤣 He would turn the key and then look at me with big eyes and say, "Who did that?"

When we were getting ready to go outside for our last hour, I was telling him about the semi-trailer that we get to walk into off the dock to put the recycled shopping bags in ... Before I could finish, he turned around and walked back towards the grocery bay ... I said, "Hey where are you going?" ... He said, "Mom, I've gotta see that right now." 😂

So VERY proud of him! And grateful to you two and Oak Tree for getting me trained and up and running to make this DREAM COME TRUE!"

Today we'd like to highlight one of our IHS specialists Teri Anderson! She always goes above and beyond for her clients and we couldn't be more thankful to have her on the OTSS team !