Senate lays over appropriation request for Northside Boxing gym to add barbershop and workforce training

Senate File 14‑58, a local appropriation request to support Northside Boxing’s proposal to add a barbershop and vocational training space in North Minneapolis, was presented to the Jobs and Economic Development Committee and laid over for possible inclusion.

Sen. Scott Champion brought the request and introduced Ryan Burnett, executive director of Northside Boxing, and Phil Williams, a barber and longtime community practitioner. Committee members viewed a short video and heard that Northside Boxing operates out of a restored firehouse the organization purchased; the gym has served youth ages roughly 9–21 since 2016 and currently provides free programming (including equipment, meals, travel and tutoring) to about 30–50 young people nightly.

Proponents said the proposed addition — a barbershop and a trade training component — would complement the gym’s existing wraparound services by teaching entrepreneurship, professionalism, workplace skills and trades (barbering) that can lead to stable employment. Phil Williams, a barber in North Minneapolis for more than two decades, said the barbershop functions as a community anchor similar to a church and would provide mentorship and hands‑on trade experience. A youth intern who testified described receiving mentorship, meals and hands‑on skills through the gym’s programs.

Committee members asked about partnerships, program duration and placement in jobs. Proponents said the organization has placed participants in jobs, offers long‑term relationships (some participants have stayed in the program for a decade), and leverages the director’s restaurant and real estate contacts to expand opportunities. No fiscal appropriation amount was finalized in the committee; the bill was laid over for possible inclusion.