Because we need to ensure the state is making the ongoing investments required totruly address our current housing crisis.
Our campaign principles include race equity, sustainability and climate resilience, uplifting rural voices, accessibility, and ensuring frontline leaders and grassroots groups are decision-makers and campaign leaders.
The constitutional amendment for housing will create a:
Homeownership Opportunity Fund
Rental Opportunity Fund (including a minimum investment of $100 million annually in universal rental assistance/Bring it Home, MN)
Household & Community Stability Fund.
The funds are broad and flexible, able to accommodate innovative new concepts as well as existing programs, funds, and financing. A council of up to 24 people will be appointed for each fund to make budget and policy recommendations to the Governor and Legislature, with seats reserved for those with lived experience and frontline and grassroots organizations, among others.
DRAFT ballot language: A constitutional amendment for housing:
Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended to remove barriers to homeownership, to make our rental housing safe and affordable, and to protect our vulnerable households and communities from displacement and homelessness by increasing the sales and use tax rate beginning July 1, 2025, by three-eighths of one percent on taxable sales until the year 2050?
MHP is proud to join more than 60 organizations in endorsing a constitutional amendment for housing.
MHP is seeking a Narrative Change VISTA Tenant Organizer to build tenant power and influence through storytelling, organizing, convening, and leadership development activities. Join us to develop housing narratives directed by the intentions and leadership of tenants.
Program Description: MHP is leading a statewide project to develop and disseminate a housing narrative that moves people to action and commitment. The Narrative Change VISTA Tenant Organizer will support tenant capacity and leadership through storytelling, and support sharing housing stories through multiple mediums and approaches. This position will facilitate and support virtual and in-person dialogues about housing challenges, the Minnesota housing system, and housing solutions and successes.
Compensation: VISTA positions include a biweekly stipend ($877.66 every two weeks), choice of Education Award or End of Service Stipend ($6,495 or $1,800), health coverage (healthcare allowance of $7,900), relocation allowance, training, and childcare assistance if eligible. Additional benefits include a $500 monthly housing or general assistance, and transportation costs including mileage reimbursement.
Qualifications: Candidates are desired to have strong communication and interpersonal skills, the ability to work on multiple tasks and manage time, the ability to work as part of a team, and basic computer word processing skills. Access to a car is recommended but not required.
To apply: Full job description here. This position is open to applications through July 14, 2023. Applications are accepted through the AmeriCorp website.
On Tuesday, May 2nd, MHP’s Executive Director Anne Mavity testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, Subcommittee on Housing Transportation and Community Development. The hearing focused on this year’s “Farm Bill” and the opportunity it represents to preserve deeply needed affordable housing in rural communities.
On May 3rd, MHP hosted a webinar based on the report: The USDA Section 515 Program and The Challenge of Preserving Affordable Housing in Greater Minnesota. Guests Ryan Allen, Professor and Associate Dean of Research, Humphrey School of Public Affairs; Dani Salus, Preservation Supervisor, Multifamily Division, Minnesota Housing; and Adam Schiff, Agriculture Legislative Assistance, Office of Senator Tina Smith; and Elizabeth Glidden and Jill Henricksen held a conversation about the future of rural rental homes in Minnesota. Watch the Full Recording: here, and view Presentation slides (PDF): here, Meeting Chat (PDF): here.
On behalf of the Minnesota ERASE Campaign, we thank the Governor, lawmakers, and Minnesota Housing Finance Agency for the passage of bill HF 2271, which includes $50M in emergency rental assistance (ERA) for the Family Homelessness Prevention and Assistance Program (FHPAP)! This will provide critical support to Minnesota families who are struggling to make ends meet.
The Minnesota ERASE Campaign (End Rental Arrears and Stop Evictions) advocated for lawmakers to approve emergency rental assistance (ERA) before the end of session, and to ensure ERA will reach the lowest income and most marginalized renters. With Minnesotans facing eviction in historically high numbers, emergency rental assistance will help individuals and families remain housed across our state.
The MN ERASE campaign is affiliated with the National Low Income Housing Coalition’s national ERASE Project. Through the efforts of MN ERASE, advocates elevated the need for emergency rental assistance to government and lawmakers. MN ERASE convened renters, landlords, services providers, housing and redevelopment authorities, and other housing advocates to develop ERA recommendations to Minnesota Housing and lawmakers. We are gratified that the result is an investment in helping our neighbors with lower incomes find and stay in their homes.
Keya Wakpala Woiċaġeyapi will be a living community that nourishes the Siċaŋġu spirit and way of life. Affordable and accessible quality-built homes, centered around a community garden and a multi-use gathering space, with places for people to shop and work and for children to play together, Keya Wakpala is a pathway for the Siċaŋġu Lak̇ota Oyate “to reclaim who they are” near Mission, South Dakota.
From its very beginning, Keya Wakpala has been shaped and guided by community voices speaking what they need and want, including dedicated space for food and agriculture, livelihood, and recreation. The homes will be culturally-relevant, adaptable to all family sizes and generations, with room for future growth. This 600-acre site will eventually incorporate athletic facilities, sports fields, a network of walking, biking and hiking trails, small business incubators, retail, restaurants, as well as many other businesses and amenities.
Recently, a new billboard was unveiled to help promote the project! MHP, a technical assistance provider for the project, was thrilled to have the opportunity to use grant funds to commission two talented Siċaŋġu artists Cas and Sonni, as well as a Lakota graphic design professional to bring the project to life!
Friday, March 10th at 9 a.m. MHP hosted an update directly from lawmakers and community partners about the latest developments in St. Paul.
We were excited to have been joined by Amy Koch of Hylden Advocacy & Law, Annie Shapiro of Minn Cap and Rep. Esther Agbaje (DFL – Minneapolis). Rep. Agbaje serves as Vice Chair of the House Housing Committe, in caucus leadership, and co-chairs the People of Color and Indigenous (POCI) caucus.
Watch the update below.
Please contact Libby Murphy at [email protected] with any questions.
Olympic Peninsula Extended Needs Housing (OPEN Housing) spent a snowy 1.5 days in Port Angeles, WA with MHP staff members Barbara Dolan, Devon Pohlman, and Courtney Overby on a site visit to complete a needs assessment; exchanging stories, touring properties, and diving into discussions on priorities for the organization. OPEN was formally incorporated in 2019 and currently offers 14 units for rent at two properties in Sequim and Port Angeles. With a mission to “provide sustainable, secure, affordable housing for people with developmental disabilities and low-income others in a shared and integrated community so all can thrive,” OPEN Housing develops low-income housing for adults with disabilities (and other low-income neuro-typical adults) who are willing and able to live and thrive in a shared housing community.
In the US, nearly 75% of adults experiencing intellectual or developmental disabilities live in their family’s home. On the Olympic Peninsula, that number is closer to 99%. Imagine being an adult who wants to live independently, develop social skills, and learn what it means to contribute to their community with nowhere they can afford to go. Out of every four Americans, one experiences an intellectual or developmental disability. housing adults with disabilities shapes the collective future of all of us.
OPEN Housing applied for technical assistance (TA) through MHP’s online application. MHP technical and financial assistance is tailored to help build the capacity of local housing drivers and promote local housing solutions that address gaps in existing services. A needs assessment site visit is the first step for the MHP team and project partners to meet in person, view properties or sites, and build the foundation for a 24-36 month-long working relationship. MHP assesses whether an organization has the capacity and readiness and aligns with its mission in order to be successful when utilizing MHP programs and funding sources. This time together provides MHP staff with the opportunity to connect with individuals, entities, and partners involved in collaboratively crafting a living work plan. Creating affordable housing and building strong communities is complex work!
From left to right: Devon Pohlman (MHP), Barbara Dolan (MHP), Kimberly Ortloff (OPEN Board President), Lindsey Schromen-Wawrin (Port Angeles City Council) Liza Searles (Executive Director), Courtney Overby (MHP)
As part of the OPEN Housing needs assessment, MHP staff worked closely with the team to identify and prioritize organizational challenges. The project team met and heard from local Port Angeles council member Lindsey Schromen-Wawrin about the approach and systemic barriers to housing that the community-at-large faces. MHP staff also heard directly from Dorine Hunter, a former board of directors’ officer, about the significance of the acronym OPEN as a name that supporters would recognize, and about the extensive network of the mothers of those experiencing disabilities, who founded and sustain the organization’s operations and administrative success. Hearing the stories firsthand, in community, forges meaning and structure, and sets the tone for the rest of the technical assistance engagement.
The assessment revealed that OPEN’s communal single-family home model is well-positioned for organizational sustainability and the future development of new housing for IDD adults. MHP’s work plan with OPEN Housing will include board of director recruitment and training and reviewing existing and creating new policies and procedures. OPEN Housing is excited about an update to the website and a rebranding effort in addition to hiring, staff development, and strategic organizational planning.
MHP’s Community Development team delivers the resources and knowledge needed to create and preserve housing and community assets. We collaborate directly with communities, regions, and organizations across the country to achieve their housing and community development goals. From innovative community planning practices to knowledge of complex federal grants and programs, our expertise helps to create effective — and lasting — collaboration among community leaders.
Does your community need knowledge in housing, community, and/or organizational development? Looking for collaborations and partnerships to bring affordable housing to your community? To learn more, contact Devon Pohlman, Director of Community Development at devon.pohlman [at] mhponline.org.
Take Five is MHP’s series that asks the same five questions of a variety of people intersecting with MHP, from staff to housing advocates! We are excited to welcome Housing Campaign Organizer Madeline Hammerlund, and Capitol Pathways Intern Micah Coatie.
Madeleine Hammerlund
Q1. Who are you?
Madeleine Hammerlund; Housing Campaign Organizer. I am joining MHP as special staff to the campaign Our Future Starts at Home, advocating for a constitutional amendment
Q2. What attracted you to working with MHP?
MHP is driven by research-supported work and creating a more equitable system through housing policy which aligns with my values. The organization provides an opportunity to improve the lives of all Minnesotans through strategic organizing, building relationships and partnerships while growing as a community worker, and conducting ethnographic research.
Q3. What’s a challenge in the field of housing right now?
Right now, I feel challenged by the individuals who don’t YET recognize housing to be a human right. It is also clear that our housing system needs more sustainable and continuous funding, and I am enthusiastic about ensuring more affordable and accessible housing through the passing of Our Future Starts at Home amendment.
Q4. Is there a book by your bed, and what is it?
There are three books by my bedside: Hero of a Thousand Faces by James Campbell; Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer; and The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Q5. Who is your superhero?
My superhero is the person who actively aligns their words with their actions, someone who can remain kind in challenging times, and those that gently welcome the full spectrum of emotion. Those who have helped shape my perspective include John Fire Lame Deer, Clarissa Pinkola Estés, and my Moms.
Micah Coatie
Micah joins MHP as our 2023 Capitol Pathways intern, he has already been busy assisting our policy team during the legislative session. The Capitol Pathways program places college students who identify as Black, Indigenous, or people of color in paid internships with government offices, nonprofits, corporations, and law firms where they gain policymaking experience and built relationships in and around the Capitol.
Q1. Who is Micah?
When I think about who is Micah? Multiple ideas come to mind immediately, but one idea that keeps coming to mind is teachable. I am a person who needs and wants to experience and learn new things. Even though sometimes the lessons are hard, and I don’t understand at times the deeper meaning of the lesson. I am still grateful for the opportunity, because sometimes a simple or even complex lesson can open up a whole new way of thinking.
Q2. What attracted you to working with MHP?
Over the last two years I have worked at the non-profit Avivo Village. While working there, I support residents directly with day-to-day issues and struggles. Over the last two years I have questioned multiple times why residents who have everything in place to move and live in their own space have been held back from moving. I was attracted to MHP because it gave me the opportunity to see the behind the scenes of how the advocacy work we do today affects the residents I work with tomorrow!
Q3. What’s a challenge in the field of housing right now?
I would have to say not having enough social workers in the field to help with are homeless population today is a major challenge in the field of housing right now. Even if we house this population without the proper long-term support eventually the cycle will continue, and this population will be back on the streets in the matter of months.
Q4. Is there a book by your bed, and what is it?
I currently am going through a phase of reading autobiographies and currently the book by my bed side is Viola Davis’s autobiography Finding Me.
