Minneapolis Can Do Better!
Lack of affordable, stable housing in Minneapolis is making life unbearable for many families and individuals who are trying to make it in this world. I am lucky to own my home but if I had to pay rent out of my social security alone I couldn’t afford a decent modest apartment and might be homeless myself. – Tom
I serve on our Parish’s Care Committee and witness firsthand how people struggle to meet rent and find affordable housing, even while employed. I believe the city must act boldly to create homes that will address homelessness and racial disparities. – Julie
These past two summers have broken my heart as I can walk 4-5 blocks in almost any direction from my home and see my sisters and brothers living in tents, in conditions that are not safe and not healthy… We have a responsibility to care for our neighbors. – Peter
A collaborative of over 100 congregations metro-wide, Beacon is one of the leading developers of supportive housing in the Twin Cities. In recent years, we have pledged to double our production of housing for residents most at risk of homelessness. Housing like Cranberry Ridge and Lydia Apartments, to begin construction this month, and Bimosedaa coming soon! We made this commitment because we witness the crisis and believe that together we can transform broken systems. As shelter providers and community members, we don’t have to hear the statistics to know – the vast majority of renters in Minneapolis who are paying more than they can afford for rent are people with incomes below $31,000 (for a family of four). And Black and Indigenous households are far more likely than white families to experience homelessness as their families have been shut out of housing opportunities for generations.
Every year, our housing development staff submit many applications to cities, counties, regional and state agencies to secure each building’s public funding. When Emerson Village, housing for families in North Minneapolis, was not funded by the City of Minneapolis in December, our team of dedicated leaders and staff did a lot of research. We came to better understand how the Affordable Housing Trust Fund is contributing to a slower track for housing that serves residents with the lowest incomes compared to housing where residents can afford a higher rent. We are calling on the City of Minneapolis to set a goal for producing far more housing for residents earning 30% of the area median income (AMI) and below – renters on the edge of losing their homes every month. Council has already stated strong priorities for 30% AMI and formerly homeless residents – so we hope staff will more closely follow scoring when they make the awards rather than judging projects not “ready” for city funding. Receiving funding the first year we apply improves our score on future applications!
Many of you sent in comments to the City expressing your support for the idea of targeting public funds toward housing that meets this great need – including the heartbreaking stories quoted above. Many Council Members agree with you that this should be the purpose of the Affordable Housing Trust Fund. We engaged in this public process in good faith that the City would work collaboratively toward solutions to this housing emergency. We expected to hear at a housing committee meeting on May 18 how they’d respond to our bold ideas to increase housing built at 30% AMI over time.
But the staff who received your comments have already informed City Council members that they have no intention of improving this program – in fact, they will argue on May 18 that they are already on track to meet the need. We wish they were right! But how can this be, when only 20% of the apartment units funded by the Trust Fund in 2020 will be affordable for people with the lowest incomes? Minneapolis can and must do better. Deeply affordable housing must be the primary priority of the city’s Trust Fund until people are no longer sleeping in parks and shelters or on the edge of eviction.
City Council members have the power to reduce homelessness and begin to repair generations of racist housing policies. We need to show them on May 18 that constituents are watching. Indeed, the eyes of the world are on Minneapolis. We invite our elected Council Members to step up in this moment and share in our commitment to make housing at 30% AMI a top priority.
Join us to hold Council Members accountable to their commitments on May 18 – RSVP here!
