Housing Committee Update – Minneapolis MUST do better!
by Emily Goldthwaite Fries, Senior Congregational Organizer
The eyes of the world are on Minneapolis. As we approach the one-year anniversary of George Floyd’s murder at the hands of police, many of us in this city are also remembering the massive growth of encampments in city parks that followed the uprising. We are remembering the jobs lost during the pandemic, disproportionately impacting communities of color, and the work of housing advocates across the nation to prevent evictions and help cost-burdened residents with low incomes to pay the rent. The crisis in homelessness is inextricably linked to the wounds of racist systems, which nobody can turn away from anymore.
Beacon leaders and staff have identified the Affordable Housing Trust Fund in Minneapolis as one of the most effective tools we already have to reduce homelessness and provide the kinds of housing that are sorely needed in the community. We have been working hard since December for changes to the way the funds are allocated so housing that takes more public investment gets a faster track to development, rather than the slowest. We called on the Minneapolis City Council’s housing committee to set a goal for what percentage of the apartment units built with the city’s Trust Fund dollars each year should be for residents the lowest income levels.
We have had many meetings with City Council members and the Mayor who told us they clearly agreed with our analysis and the idea of setting a goal. We were greatly disappointed, then, to witness a meeting where our concern was downplayed and a motion to study the issue more, proposed by Council Member Cam Gordon, failed in a 3-3 tie. The 70 Beacon leaders who were watching saw that the committee was strongly discouraged from even having the discussion. City staff made a case that they are already on track to meet adopted Met Council goals for affordable housing. While these goals are a step forward, they do not come close to meeting the urgent need of so many who are still waiting in shelters and tents for a home. These investments also fall short of the full potential Minneapolis can marshal through the Trust Fund dollars to support the people who would benefit the most from community resources. Of the homes to be built with 2020 funding, only 18% will be income restricted to people earning low incomes – a percentage far below the true capacity of the city.
What does this mean?
That we have more work to do, but we have a lot to build on.
We succeeded so far in bringing the issue of homelessness into the policy conversation about the Trust Fund. We believe there would have been no discussion at all of staff recommendations without the work we have done so far to focus Council Members on the crisis facing our community.
We also believe many Council Members agree the city can and must do better. The team will continue working with them toward a plan to maximize development of housing that truly meets the needs of residents who are homeless or earning very low incomes.
And the collaborative will have work to do as well – to make even more visible the power of people of faith and our allies in the wider community organizing for justice. Stay tuned for actions you can take this summer– and bring your friends!
A special thank you to our team that has been leading this campaign! Mary Alette Davis, Sarah Mitchell and Amy Hasbargen of Bethlehem Lutheran Church Twin Cities; Daymond Dean of St. Joan of Arc Catholic Community; Peter Eichten of Plymouth Congregational Church; Gary Melom of First Universalist Church!
