On May 13, 2021 the Homes for All Coalition Co-Chairs, Pastor Sue Koesterman & Chad Adams sent a letter requesting federal funding coming to Minnesota from the federal American Rescue Plan (ARP), be utilized for significant investments in the affordable housing continuum.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the lives of so many Minnesotans, the Homes for All Coalition is grateful for your commitment to helping households find or maintain safe, stable and accessible housing throughout this past year through eviction protections, shelter support and housing assistance. As you contemplate final budget negotiations and how best to utilize federal funding coming to Minnesota from the federal American Rescue Plan (ARP), the statewide Homes for All coalition would like to make the case for significant investments in the affordable housing continuum. The pandemic has further highlighted disparities that exist in communities across the state, especially for Black, Indigenous and People of Color, and it is increasingly clear that housing stability is critical to addressing those disparities head on. 

We have the chance to dramatically change Minnesota’s housing landscape by taking advantage of the American Rescue Plan funds coming to the state. We can preserve thousands of affordable homes and work to close racial disparities and strengthen our affordable housing continuum for decades to come – with a significant return on investment. ARP Funds are available through end of 2024, so all funding recommendations could be utilized over the course of 3 years or after other federal allocations expire.”

Read the letter outlining Homes for All’s updated request for American Rescue Plan funds, here.

We are CANCELING our full group Homes for All meeting that was scheduled for this Thursday, May 20. Please stay tuned for an update email from the Homes for All co-chairs soon. Homes for All Full Group Meeting CANCELED for this month

Join Homes for All as we host a Twitterstorm to urge lawmakers to prioritze housing and homelessness issues through the end of session (5/17)

WHAT IS A TWITTERSTORM?

A Twitterstorm is simply a short period of time during which advocates join together to send a high volume of tweets on a specific topic. We will prepare sample tweets for you (found below) and you can copy and paste them throughout the hour, or schedule your tweets in advance. You can also create your own tweets, just remember to use the hashtags below so that all of our tweets can be grouped together. Please note: pls retweet and “favorite” tweets as they are sent out because it builds momentum and helps Homes for All trend on Twitter.

DETAILS:

What: Twitterstorm to urge lawmakers to prioritize housing and homelessness issues through the end of sessions

When: Thursday, May 13, 2021

Time: 12pm – 1pm

Where: Twitter – @Home4AllMN

Hashtags/Tags:  #Homes4AllMN #Bonds4Housing #mnleg
@PaulGazelka @MelissaHortman

Goal: The goal of this Twitterstorm is to build momentum around the end of the 2021 Legislative Session and the Homes for All legislative agenda.

• Favoriting, retweeting, and posting the prepared tweets for the full hour

• Using a variation of these leaders in our tweets:

  •  @PaulGazelka @MelissaHortman 

• Using specific hashtags: #Homes4AllMN; #mnleg; #Bonds4Housing

Current Co-hosts:

• @followmhp

• @MCCD_MN

• @HabitatMN

• @mnhomelessco 

• @HOME_Line

• @OYHmn

• @AvenuesforYouth

• @AllianceHsg

• @AvivoMN

• @AeonMN

• @CCtwincities

• @Wilderfdtn

• @BelieveinHome

• @tchabitat

SAMPLE TWEETS for 05/13/2021:

• Tenant protection

  • The simple filing of an eviction action by a landlord appears immediately on a tenant’s record, before the court has rendered a judgement or even heard the case. Tenants deserve their day in court prior to something forever tarnishing their rental history. #mnleg #Homes4AllMN

  • If an eviction was ordered more than 3 years ago, it should permanently be removed from a renters’ record. Evictions currently haunt tenants for years. At some point we need to stop punishing renters for issues that took place long ago. #mnleg #Homes4AllMN

  • In the occasional situation when a tenant is successful in getting an eviction expunged from their record, it usually takes 2 to 4 months — the critical time a tenant is seeking new housing. #mnleg #Homes4AllMN

• Shelter/Homelessness

  • 80 of Minnesota’s 87 counties do not have enough shelter. It’s time for the state to invest in the Emergency Services Program so all Minnesotans have access to safe, dignified shelter. #mnleg

  • Homelessness was a crisis before COVID and we’re yet to see the full impact of the pandemic. The state needs to invest in the Emergency Services Program to help Minnesotans find stability. #mnleg

  • Housing Support helps keep people in their homes and avoid homelessness. An increase across the state would help Minnesotans stay stable. #mnleg

• Homeownership

  • The Challenge Program is one of the most versatile funding sources for housing in Greater MN + the Metro. An increase in funding for this oversubscribed program can CREATE and REHABILITATE affordable ownership and rental units and ensure #Homes4AllMN! #mnleg

  • As we continue to fight for justice for all Minnesotans in this difficult time, we will advocate so that ALL Minnesota families can access affordable housing. One way to make an impact? Contact your state rep and senator and make your voice heard. #MNLeg #VirtualAdvocacy

  • @PaulGazelka @MelissaHortman where we live impacts every part of our lives! Please support funding for the #ChallengeProgram, a proven, vital resource for future homeowners! #Homes4AllMN 

  • Over 100 people attended #VirtualHillDay – a testament to the power of coming together to advocate for meaningful change. Please support advocates’ efforts by making homeownership a possibility for ALL Minnesota families @PaulGazelka @MelissaHortman #InvestinHome #MNLeg

  • “Housing is healthcare, housing is education, housing is stability. “- Dr. Bambie Hayes-Brown, CEO of Georgia Advancing Communities Together. Please support much-needed homeownership funding #mnleg #affordablehousing 

• General

  • In Minnesota, 1 in 4 families pay more than they can afford on housing, putting them one emergency away from losing their home. Legislators must act now to build thoughtful, lasting change that ensures affordable housing is accessible to all this #mnleg session. #Homes4AllMN

  • We believe in safe and affordable shelter for EVERY Minnesotan! Please support investments in housing for the full continuum of housing. #Homes4AllMN @GovTimWalz @LtGovFlanagan

Please mark your calendars and join us for a virtual rally with Homes for All. “Homes for All Virtual Rally: Response, Recovery, Resilience” will take place on Zoom on May 5th, 2021 from 10:00 – 11:30am. Find the details and registration links here:

• H4A Facebook Event here
• Register on our Eventbrite page here

Hear from folks with lived experience of housing instability, participate in a call to action, and get an update on our legislative work. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, half a million Minnesota households were spending more than 30% of their income on housing. As the housing crisis persists, we need to take collective action for housing equity, recovery, and stability.

Accessibility: ASL interpretation and CART (live) captioning will be available. If you have questions about accessibility, please email Gene Martinez at genemartinez@arcminnesota.org.

With the legislative session entering its final month, omnibus bills are coming fast and furious. An omnibus bill packages several smaller bills into one bill; it can include appropriations and policy items. Check out what we know about what is in these bills so far.

House

HHS Committees:

• Emergency services Program

  • Moves ESP from a base budget of 844k/year to 9m/year

• Shelter Capital

  • Adds 2.5m/year until 2026 of shelter capital for increasing and maintaining the supply of shelters across the state

• Long Term Homeless Supportive Services

  • Adds 1m/year to the base budget for LTHSS

• Absence waiver (county version) for Housing supports

Housing Committee:  

The omnibus housing bill will be heard on the House Floor, Thursday April 15th; it, for good reason, does not include the eviction moratorium off-ramp proposal, HF12, (see below). The bill has $30 million in additional spending, $5 million is ongoing base funding (see funding increases below which include some non-agenda items).

Funding:

• Bridges Housing Voucher

  • $1 Million base increase 

• Homework Starts With Home

  • $1 Million base increase

• Lead Safe Homes Program

  • $2 Million one-time & $1.5 Million base increase

• Workforce Homeownership Program

  • $3.5 Million onetime & $1.5 Base increase

• Challenge Program – $6 million one-time increase

• Manufactured Home Park Infrastructure Grants

  • $2 Million one-time increase

• Local Housing Trust-Fund Match

  • $3 Million one-time increase

• Homeowner Assistance Fund

  • $1 Million one-time

• HECAT

  • $500k one-time 

• NOAH Preservation

  • $ one-time

• Shelter Provider Task-Force

  • $455K one-time

Policy:

• Tenant rights and protections are all in the House’s Omnibus Housing Bill:

  • Pre-eviction notice of 14 days

  • Eviction expungement reforms

  • Prohibition of non-optional fees for non-optional services (e.g., move-in fee, payment electronic portal fee, January fee)

  • Statewide minimum heat code

  • Privacy violations

  • Emergency repairs and related court costs

  • Break lease in case of infirmity

• Eviction moratorium off-ramp (HF12):   Homes for All believes long-term housing policies should be considered separately from the short-term issue of ending the moratorium appropriately, as HF12 for the most part does:

  • It is tied to the peacetime emergency.

  • It will take an extended amount of time to phase out, giving time for the financial assistance coming from the federal government time to get into the bank accounts of landlords.

  • It requires landlords to notify tenants prior to an eviction being filed and provides tenants with time to cure the issue at the heart of a potential eviction action — usually non-payment of rent.

Judiciary & Civil Law:

• Prevent Source of Income Discrimination Poilcy & Funding Included

Taxes:

• Workforce Homeownership Program 

  • $15 Million Base Funding

    • Through Capture of Mortgage Registry & Deed Tax

• 4d Adjustment Study

• $25m Youth homeless Prevention

Capital Investments:

• Housing Infrastructure Bonds (HIBs)

  • $150 for Permanent Affordable Housing

    • New Use: Deeper Affordability without Supportive Services

    • New Use: Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing Preservation

  • $50 Million for Shelters (One-time)

    • $10 Million carve out for Simpson Housing Services

• GO Bonds

  • $100 Million for public housing rehab

Senate

HHS Committees:

• Housing supports

• $100/month base rate increase

• Absence waiver for people seeking medical treatment to exceed the 18 day absence policy

Housing Committee:

The committee had a $0 budget target so any funding increases mean that funding was cut from another program.

Funding:

• Challenge Program

  • $2 Million Cut

• Rental Housing Rehab Program

  • $2 Million Cut

• Build Wealth

  • $1 Million Cut

• HECAT

  • $300k one-time

• Workforce Homeownership Program

• $3.2 Million one-time

• Manufactured Home Park Infrastructure Grants

  • $1.5 Million one-time

Policy

• Tenant rights/protections:  The Senate Omnibus Housing bill includes none of Homes for All’s tenant right/protections proposals.  Also, it includes the Senate’s eviction moratorium off-ramp proposal, which Homes for All believes should be negotiated separately from longer-term policy change proposals (see above).

Judiciary & Civil Law:

Nothing included at the moment

Taxes:

The bill hasn’t been released yet, but we expect the Affordable Housing Tax Credit Bill to be included as well pushed by MHP.

• Property Tax Subcommittee Bill

  • 4d tax simplification

Capital Investments:

No Bill at the Moment