Who We Are
Mission, Vision & Values
The Minnesota Elder Justice Center provides information and resources to older adults and vulnerable adults, their loved ones, and professionals around issues of abuse, neglect and financial exploitation.
We mobilize communities to prevent and alleviate abuse, neglect, and financial exploitation of elders and vulnerable adults. We do this by:
- Providing public awareness presentations and education to communities;
- Professional education and practice to institutions who work with older or vulnerable adults;
- Shepherding important public policy initiatives that strengthen supports for older and vulnerable adults;
- Providing direct services to victims and loved ones affected by the abuse or financial exploitation of older or vulnerable adults.
Our Mission
Minnesota Elder Justice Center’s mission is to alleviate and prevent the abuse, neglect, and financial exploitation of older or vulnerable adults.
Our Vision
Minnesota Elder Justice Center is a trusted resource that improves lives, communities, and systems with and on behalf of elders and vulnerable adults.
Our Values
Guiding Principles
- Older adults and vulnerable adults provide a rich history of life experiences that should be honored and respected.
- Freedom from abuse, neglect and financial exploitation are fundamental rights.
- Older adults, vulnerable adults and their families deserve information about their rights and choices.
- Abuse, neglect and exploitation of older and vulnerable adults are private tragedies with public consequences.
- Collaboration and partnerships with key stakeholders are essential to preventing and alleviating abuse, neglect and financial exploitation of older and vulnerable adults.
- Collaboration between victim services and social services is necessary to reduce abuse, neglect and financial exploitation.
- Supportive communities and families improve the quality of life for older and vulnerable adults.
- We acknowledge and must work with the tension that exists between protection and autonomy.
- The causes and solutions of abuse, neglect and exploitation are complex in scope and origin, because they are individual and systemic. Therefore, multidisciplinary, holistic solutions are needed.
- Our work is data driven and research based.
Our History
The Minnesota Elder Justice Center opened its doors on October 1, 2014, joining the work of the Vulnerable Adult Justice Project (VAJP) and MN S.A.F.E. Elders Initiative, into the Minnesota Elder Justice Center. The goal was to create a venue to accelerate work to prevent and alleviate the abuse, neglect, and financial exploitation of older and vulnerable adults.
Equity Framework & Strategic Plan
2023-2026 Strategic Plan
The Minnesota Elder Justice Center is reaffirming our mission, vision, and values, and clarifying priorities for the next three years so that our services remain essential and valuable for Minnesotans for years to come.
Through our strategic plan we have identified a few priorities: to advance excellence, strengthen sustainability, engage partners, drive innovation, and promote awareness.
We invite you to read this strategic plan and engage in our work.
Equity Framework
Within our strategic plan is our long term work of becoming culturally humble, competent, welcoming, and inclusive of all people both within and outside our organization, as well as in the range of issues and challenges we engage in.
Commitment to Address Systemic Racism
It is important for the Minnesota Elder Justice Center (MEJC) to take action in response to what members of Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) communities have been experiencing and expressing for years – that their lived experiences differ because of systemic racism.
As an organization focused on preventing and alleviating the abuse, neglect and financial exploitation of older and vulnerable adults, it is critically important to work for a more just, equitable, and inclusive future for BIPOC communities across the state of Minnesota. This work must be done in partnership with others. Elder justice is directly tied to and intertwined with the inequities that disproportionately affect BIPOC communities. These inequities are built into our systems of health care, criminal justice, education, housing and urban planning, and economic support.
Our organization is also committed to deconstructing the systemic racism within our own conversations and practices at the MEJC, engaging in collective reflection and discussion to deepen our understanding of how our actions may not have aligned with our vision of becoming a trusted resource for all Minnesotans. This vision directs the ways in which we build partnerships and relationships, develop policies and systemic responses, and provide services and support to individuals in every community across the state.
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Sign up for our email list to receive updates, resources, and educational opportunities relating to abuse, neglect, and financial exploitation of older or vulnerable adults.