Around $25,000 from the 2025 Minneapolis budget will be used to develop an LGBTQ+ mental health program.
The amendment, one of over 70 written by the city council, is a one-time funding increase to the Minneapolis Health Department to improve mental health care for LGBTQ+ residents, according to the budget.
The Minneapolis City Council passed the 2025 Minneapolis budget Dec. 10 which was vetoed by Mayor Jacob Frey the next day. The veto was overridden by the city council on Dec. 12.
Details for what this program will look like are limited. Council Member Jason Chavez (Ward 9), the author of the amendment, said in a statement that the LGBTQ+ mental health program would be established in collaboration with an unnamed community organization.
The community organization will be contracted to set up the mental health program with the one-time $25,000 funds from the Minneapolis Health Department, Chavez said in the statement.
Chavez said that this program will provide an important service for the LGBTQ+ community who are more at risk of mental health issues.
“LGBTQIA+ individuals are significantly more likely to experience mental health issues like depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts compared to non-LGBTQIA+ people,” Chavez said in the statement.
Kat Rohn, executive director of OutFront Minnesota, said during the presidential election there was an increase in anti-transgender and other anti-LGBTQ advertising, exacerbating a pre-existing mental health crisis in the community.
“What we’ve seen in general is an uptick in mental health concerns amongst the LGBTQ(+) community, particularly over the last couple of years as we’ve seen harmful legislation pass in a lot of states,” Rohn said.
It is a positive sign that the city is supporting access to mental health resources, Rohn said.
“Our culture and society and communities need investment in this space, and they also need them to be targeted at communities who are currently most impacted and underserved by the mental health environment,” Rohn said.
Holistic approaches to mental health care are shown to be effective in treating symptoms of anxiety and depression, Chavez said in the budget amendment.
“It is important to address those disparities as the City has an obligation to protect the health and welfare of its residents,” Chavez said in the amendment.
Rohn said having these kinds of services available will make for a stronger and safer community for LGBTQ+ people.
“Folks, at least within LGBTQ(+) communities, are going to be much more comfortable going to providers who are well trained to handle LGBTQ(+) client needs and community concerns,” Rohn said. “Or even better yet, folks who are themselves also members of the community and can really understand and relate to the experiences that folks might be having.”
In a statement a week before he vetoed the now-adopted budget, Frey said the amendments diverted city funds to “pet projects” with little longevity.
“If all of these amendments pass, it would represent a departure from good government and fiscal responsibility that Minneapolis residents want and deserve,” Frey said in the statement. “It would amount to cutting needs while adding wants.”
Chavez said in a statement that Frey requesting the council to withdraw many of the amendments at the last hour was unacceptable.
“While the mayor and his administration are calling these ‘pet projects’ and ‘wants rather than needs,’ I will always fight for making investments in the residents and small businesses of Ward 9 and Minneapolis as a whole,” Chavez said in the statement.
