By Elizabeth Glidden, MHP’s Director of Strategic Initiatives and Policy

On September 4, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) issued a national moratorium on most evictions for nonpayment of rent, to protect the health and safety of all residents and help prevent the spread of COVID-19.  This action is unprecedented and essential; it will not expire until December 31, 2020. Unlike previous federal protections, this order covers all properties , not just those with federally backed mortgages or funding.

In Minnesota, starting in mid-March, Governor Walz has protected health and safety with an evictions suspension that prohibits evictions and lease terminations. Effective August 4, the Governor’s Emergency Executive Order continues to suspend most evictions with some exceptions, such as for damage to property and safety as specified.  

Because Governor Walz’s Emergency Executive Order suspending evictions has stronger protections for renters than the CDC evictions moratorium, the provisions of the CDC moratorium do NOT apply; Minnesotans must continue to comply with the Governor’s order suspending evictions. HOME Line has provided detailed updates and FAQ’s on the Governor’s suspension of evictions here.

While the provisions of Governor Walz’s Emergency Order suspending evictions provide greater protection to renters than the CDC moratorium, the Governor’s EO must be extended in 30-day increments whereas the CDC moratorium is in place through December 31. As of September 10, Governor Walz has announced his intention to extend the peacetime emergency, which would include the suspension of evictions, for another 30 days. 

An overview of the CDC Eviction Moratorium, developed by NLIHC and NHLP, can be found here.

It is critical that Minnesota agencies and organizations continue to promote a consistent message of compliance with the Governor’s Order suspending evictions. The CDC moratorium has unique requirements for renters, and limits coverage primarily to non-payment of rent, which could cause confusion for renters, owners, and property managers: these unique provisions of the CDC moratorium do not apply in Minnesota.

Neither the CDC moratorium, nor the Governor’s suspension of evictions, relieves renters of any obligation to pay rent. We are desperately in need of Congress to approve a COVID-19 relief bill with at least $100 billion in housing assistance. 

In Minnesota, the COVID-19 Housing Assistance Program launched August 24, making $100 million available to help prevent eviction, prevent homelessness, and maintain housing stability for eligible renters and homeowners. The program is designed to cover expenses such as rent, mortgage, utilities or other housing-related expenses that were incurred after March 1, 2020 and are past due. 

Minnesotans can apply for housing assistance and learn more at Greater Twin Cities United Way’s 211 Resource Helpline at 211unitedway.org. Call Greater Twin Cities United Way Toll Free: 1.800.543.7709; Local: 651.291.0211), visiting 211unitedway.org online, or texting “MNRENT” or “MNHOME” to 898-211.) The 211 helpline has dedicated multilingual staff available to answer questions about the COVID-19 Housing Assistance Program, 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. Monday through Friday. 

Yesterday, the Centers for Disease Control took a crucial step toward ensuring Americans don’t lose their homes during the worst pandemic and economic downturn in a century by enacting a federal moratorium on evictions. A nationwide, uniform evictions moratorium for nonpayment of rent is crucial to avoiding massive housing instability. Minnesota Housing Partnership urges Congress and the White House to take the next step and pass rental assistance to ensure Minnesota families aren’t burdened by crushing debt when the moratorium expires on December 31.

The following statement can be attributed to Anne Mavity, executive director of Minnesota Housing Partnership: 

This eviction moratorium is essential to ensure that Minnesota and our country does not experience mass disruptions in housing due to the economic conditions sparked by COVID19.  But it’s only half of the solution to what is needed.  Rent still needs to be paid, and without ongoing rental assistance, families will have their rents accumulate and it will simply delay the eviction cliff, not solve it.  

Minnesota has allocated $100 million toward paying the rent and helping low income homeowners with their housing costs to avoid housing displacement and homelessness. This ensures that housing providers continue to have rental revenue to pay their costs, and that low income families don’t have housing debts accruing. 

We are facing unprecedented challenges ahead. Rental assistance and this eviction moratorium must go hand-in-hand to support housing stability as we weather these economic challenges in Minnesota.

HUD eliminates crucial tool to dismantle systemic racism in housing

On July 23, HUD announced it was eliminating the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule, a 2015 rule that requires communities that receive federal funding from HUD to examine and to work towards eliminating barriers to equal housing due to systemic racism. 

MHP’s work to ensure that everyone has a home derives from the value that every human deserves dignity, respect, kindness and love. Racial disparities in housing are not accidental nor are they isolated. Redlining, racial covenants, and current manifestations of systemic oppression result in Minneota having the largest race based housing disparities in the nation. 

And HUD has just eliminated an important tool for fixing those disparities. 

In comments to HUD opposing rollbacks of the AFFH earlier this year, MHP noted: 

“Minnesota has harmed communities of color with policies and practices that have not been adequately examined for discriminatory outcomes, the exact harms the AFFH rule is intended to prevent and end. Evictions policies and practices producing undue harm to Black women are one egregious example. An evictions study from the University of Minnesota Center for Urban and Regional Affairs, conducted by Dr. Brittany Lewis and published in 2019, found that from 2013-2015, approximately 50% of renter households in North Minneapolis, an area with predominantly residents of color, experienced at least one eviction filing, a disparity particularly relevant given that this area contains just 8% of all rental units in the city.”

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, people of color in Minnesota were more likely to experience housing cost-burden — paying more than 30 percent of income on housing at the expense of food, medicine, and other essentials. At the same time, people of color are more likely to hold jobs that are at risk for closure or reduced hours, making that cost-burden that much more dire. See: https://mhp.sdho.dev/https://mhp.sdho.dev/images/COVID19/RaceJobsCovidDraft2.pdf

“The decision by HUD Secretary Ben Carson is a slap in the face to everyone working to end disparities in housing and rectify the harms caused by deeply embedded discriminatory housing policy,” said Anne Mavity, MHP’s executive director. “Instead of partnering with cities and communities to remove barriers to housing for people of color, the Trump administration has instead decided to ignore that these barriers even exist.”

“During a pandemic and recession when people are already struggling and the starkness of these disparities more and more apparent, there is only one word for this action: cruelty.”

 MHP calls on the Trump administration and HUD to reverse this decision and fully enforce the AFFH rule. 

Established in 2010, the MHP’s Housing Institute brings together housing leaders and stakeholders in Greater Minnesota to share their experiences, learn best practices, and develop creative solutions to bring quality affordable housing to their communities. MHP is excited to launch the 2020-21 cohort on July 28 with 5 teams from southern Minnesota: Lanesboro, Preston, Dodge Center, Fairmont, and Lewiston.

COVID-19 has created new circumstances but local housing needs remain. In fact, these needs have been amplified in many rural Minnesota communities. MHP is committed to provide the necessary support to help community teams develop the strategic focus to implement specific housing projects or programs to address challenges in their community. MHP staff provide technical assistance to Housing Institute participants to help build collaborative community-based teams, consider existing community assets, find financial resources and networking opportunities setting the stage for successful project/program implementation. 

The success of the Housing Institute model can be seen in communities across Minnesota. Itasca County’s Beacon Hill project got a boost from the Institute in 2013 when regional collaboration and MHP resources helped secure what was needed for 48 units of affordable and supportive housing. Swift County’s participation in the 2019 Housing Institute helped pave the way for a $500,000 grant to rehab aging housing stock. Becker County was able to turn a homeownership dream into a reality thanks to participation in the 2018 Housing Institute. 

“Over the past ten years, the Greater Minnesota Housing Institute has generated impact by helping teams realize their community housing goals through peer-to-peer learning and through deep collaboration with hundreds of local organizations and agencies,” said MHP Community Development Director Warren Kramer. “Funded through a HUD grant, this year our team has worked creatively and persistently to provide teams with a comparable experience entirely online. We look forward to serving this years’ participants.”

Housing Institute Fast Facts:

• To date the housing institute has served 136 members over six cohortsThe program is designed to build the capacity of local housing leaders and stakeholders by: working collaboratively to address needs, sharing team experiences, learning best practices, developing creative solutions to bring quality affordable housing to their communities and forming enduring relationships. 
• Even though the bulk of activities will be completed through virtual and remote engagement, our program design remains as collaborative and locally engaged as ever.  
• 5 teams participating in this 2020-21 cycle make this our biggest cohort yet. 
• Successful online formatting could mean the potential to expand the institute outside of Minnesota for more peer-to-peer exchange opportunities for rural communities across the United States. 

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