• Legislative Session Kicks off with a Rally for Housing

    Legislative Session Kicks off with a Rally for Housing

    On January 11th, Minnesota housing advocates packed the Capitol Rotunda for a rousing rally to launch the legislative session. Government leaders called for housing investment, including Governor Tim Walz, Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan, Speaker of the House Melissa Hortman, Senate Majority Leader Kari Dziedzic, Minnesota Housing Commissioner Jennifer Ho, House Majority Leader Jamie Long, Senator Lindsey Port, Representative Michael Howard, and Hennepin County Commissioner Irene Fernando.

    We are excited in both House and Senate leadership making a commitment to Bring it Home, of which MHP is an endorser. We are also optimistic that Source of Income Protections, which Rep Her is prioritizing, will get across the finish line. Source of Income Protections will only grow in importance as we advance Bring it Home. People who get a rent voucher need protections to ensure they can use their voucher to access safe, quality homes. 

    In addition to government officials we heard from people with the lived experience of struggling with housing, including Patrice Kunesh of the Native American Rights Fund and MHP board member, who realized the value of housing stability when she found herself living in public housing with her two young daughters – which was neither safe nor stable. Kunesh decried the disparities in housing in Minnesota, where Native people account for 8 percent of Minnesota’s homeless adult population, though they represent about 2% of the population, the largest disparity of any group in the state. She ended with a call for $2B for housing this year and housing on the ballot in 2024!

    Becky Zoubeck and her two children live in a Habitat for Humanity home in Faribault built in conjunction with South Central College. As a Habitat homeowner, Becky has personally experienced both the lack of affordable housing in Greater Minnesota and the transformational effects of housing stability.

    Sedia Omar of the New American Development Center addresses housing advocates

    Sedia Omar of the New American Development Center, spoke directly to the question of a constitutional amendment for housing: “You may see a home as a four-wall place, but to East African families and the families we serve, a home means comfort, security.” Sedia continued with “These investments need to be at scale and for decades. We need a new approach, as the status quo has contributed to our housing crisis. We need new solutions. Our proposal for a Constitutional Amendment ensures that frontline leaders and grassroots groups and people with lived experience are decision-makers so that solutions are community driven. … A constitutional amendment ensures long-term investments in home.”

    Jim Bargmann, a member of the Bring it Home Coalition emphasized the need for solutions as big as our problems: “Bring it Home, Minnesota will not only be life changing, but society changing. Families who can now afford their housing can move forward!”

    Mary McGovern, president of the Minneapolis Highrise Representative Council (MHRC), the city-wide public housing high-rise tenant organization, representing over 5000 residents living in the city’s 42 public housing highrises also spoke about the need for investment in housing.

    Brian Muhs

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  • Our State Surplus Should be Invested in Housing: Ensuring Minnesotans Have a Home is the Best Investment the State Can Make

    Our State Surplus Should be Invested in Housing: Ensuring Minnesotans Have a Home is the Best Investment the State Can Make

    by Anne Mavity, Executive Director, MHP

    Housing investments are an excellent strategy for deploying our state’s historic surplus to leverage long-term, generational benefits for Minnesota. Every corner of Minnesota needs more homes that are affordable to families and seniors and ensure local businesses can recruit the growing workforce they need to expand and thrive.  

    Each year, there are at least three requests to Minnesota Housing for housing project funding for every one that can actually be funded; these projects are shovel-ready right now and once built, will offer safe, decent, stable homes for generations of hard-working Minnesotans.   

    Communities around the state—from Greater Minnesota’s rural areas to cities like Duluth and St. Cloud—are feeling the squeeze of rising costs that have put homes out of reach of too many families. Our state leaders have an opportunity to come together to ensure that all our neighbors have homes from which to build their future.  

    Everyone needs a home – this is a bipartisan solution that can provide a fundamental building block of our State’s success. We need housing stability for all aspects of life: to maintain our health, to hold a job, for our kids to get their homework done. A stable home makes anything possible.  

    It’s time to raise expectations for the level of investments we need in homes for every Minnesotan. Tell your state leaders why housing is so important to you and your family today! 

    Brian Muhs

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  • MHP announces 2021 Outstanding Advocates!

    MHP is pleased to announce the recipients of our 2021 Outstanding Advocate awards! These awards recognize community members and selected organizations for demonstrated dedication to affordable housing. During 2022 session, these advocates engaged their elected officials, motivated others to advocate, and raised the public profile of affordable housing issues. They shared personal and professional experience to further MHP’s policy agenda and secure more resources for affordable housing.   

    MHP’s work would be impossible without the partnership of these outstanding individuals. We’re incredibly grateful for all the ways in which they used their voices, ingenuity, talent, and resources to draw attention to housing as a critical public issue. These awards are a small gesture in appreciation of big contributions! 

    2021 Outstanding Advocates!

    Pam Kramer, Formerly LISC Duluth

    Pam’s strong leadership over many years has advanced MHP’s policy goals and built political will for housing solutions at the local, state, and federal levels. Time and again, Pam engaged directly with lawmakers on housing priorities, building knowledge and support for the Minnesota affordable housing tax credit, local housing trust funds, and more. Pam has also been a central organizing force within her community of Northeast Minnesota and Duluth, working with elected officials, housing advocates, business and community leaders to support housing priorities. With Pam’s efforts playing a key role, the City of Duluth is launching a local housing trust fund, with funds dedicated to housing. MHP thanks Pam for her partnership and congratulates her on her legacy of housing achievements for the State of Minnesota. 

    Metric Giles, Community Stabilization Project

    Metric championed many organizing, research, and advocacy efforts in partnership with MHP in the past year, including as a guest speaker at MHP-sponsored events. He has provided crucial expertise in developing a narrative and policy advocacy strategy that centers experiences of renters, people of color, and those marginalized by structural racism. Metric is a co-leader of the Minnesota Multifamily Affordable Housing Energy Network) (MMAHEN), of which MHP is a member, using that platform to develop a statewide network of organizations at the intersection of energy and housing. He is a core partner with MHP in federal advocacy efforts, through the Opportunity Starts at Home campaign. In 2021, Metric worked with MHP to develop a report on energy efficiency impacts for multifamily buildings, a publication already of note to lawmakers, program staff, and media. 

    James Archer 

    James has contributed to MHP policy development as an engaged member of MHP’s Public Policy Advisory Group in 2020 and in 2022, influencing MHP’s policy agenda and criteria assessing race equity impact for policies. James has contributed to administrative advocacy efforts, including for the QAP, with insights on changes that better support small, emerging, and developers of color as competitive for funding applications. James also used his knowledge as a developer of affordable housing to engage with legislators through direct lobbying, working with MHP to advocate for housing infrastructure bonds and the Challenge Fund. 

    Chris Sherman, Sherman Associates 

    Chris has been critical to many MHP campaigns, influencing policy development with examples and experiences as an affordable housing developer, direct lobbying, and testifying at the legislature. As a leader in the campaign for 4d reforms, Chris compellingly testified about the importance of this finance tool to households and the ability it gives developers to prioritize affordable housing projects. Chris’ contributions have helped develop political will at the state level for housing policy and influenced administrative decisions on the QAP and more. Finally, as a developer, property owner, and manager with experience in energy efficiency programs, Chris contributed essential feedback to MHP’s 2022 report on the impact of energy efficiency requirements for multifamily buildings.  

    Dayna Norvold, Rice County Habitat 

    Dayna was critical to MHP’s success in advocating for a state match fund for local housing trust funds. For years, Dayna has been a champion of local housing trust funds, educating her local community, city elected officials and program staff, and state lawmakers on the importance of dedicated funds to housing. At MHP’s request, Dayna has engaged in direct lobbying of state lawmakers through in-person and virtual meetings, explaining the impact and benefits of local housing trust funds to achieving local housing priorities. Dayna has also helped MHP develop community connections in the Northfield area and contributed to policy development as a participant in the rural development workgroup hosted by MHP. 

    HOME Line 

    HOME Line is recognized as providing essential support to renters and advocating for prevention of evictions during the COVID-19 pandemic. As a vital partner to MHP, HOME Line has contributed to policy development, organizing, and advocacy activities including federal advocacy with the Opportunity Starts at Home campaign, providing eviction data and strategic advice as part of the ERASE campaign, and participating as a core leader in the campaign for source of income protections against housing discrimination. Throughout the pandemic and continuing today, HOME Line has provided statewide leadership with educational programs on landlord-tenant law and Governor Waltz’s housing-related peacetime emergency and negotiating the bi-partisan eviction off-ramp to protect renters from eviction.  

    Brian Muhs

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  • MHP Announces Outstanding Advocate Awards

    MHP is excited to announce the 2020 Outstanding Advocates! MHP recognizes outstanding volunteers and organizational partners who have made significant contributions to promote affordable housing solutions at the local, state, and federal levels. Favorable consideration is given to those that advance MHP’s policy goals. MHP prioritizes building relationships with and recognizing the contributions of Black, Indigenous and People of Color community members.

    The 2020 Outtstanding Advocates are:

    D’Angelos Svenkenson, Founder & CEO, NEOO Partners Inc.

    As a member of the MHP’s first Public Policy Advisory Group, D’Angelos helped MHP develop policy recommendations and criteria that are shaping MHP’s current policy framework and agenda. He actively participated in group discussions and provided extensive feedback, drawing upon his unique experiences and perspective, on messaging, letters to policymakers, and the final report. He shared the group’s body of work with MHP’s broader network at an Investors Council Breakfast. D’Angelos lobbied lawmakers with MHP

    and proactively reached out to MHP on numerous occasions to offer his assistance in additional efforts to secure the bonding bill.

    Jenny Larson of Three Rivers Community Action

    Jenny was critical to MHP’s advocacy for $100 million in housing assistance. She participated in emergency task force and one-on- one calls to help identify policy solutions responsive to COVID-19. She used her relationships and influence to aggressively lobby the Walz administration and lawmakers to secure this vital resource for Minnesota families. She is recognized statewide as an expert in many areas of housing. She has always made herself available to MHP staff to answer any policy question, even while implementing a new housing assistance program. Jenny responded to every request to engage and lobby lawmakers and provided insight and feedback on numerous communications with policymakers and the administration.

    Nelima Sitati Munene of ACER 

    Nelima partnered with MHP on several research and policy areas this past year. She has been a crucial resource to MHP staff on local, state, and national policies and campaigns. Nelima continually raised the voices and experiences of some of Minnesota’s lowest income renters. As a participant and guest speaker at MHP’s COVID-19 Housing Task Force, Nelima always advocated for resources to help elevate cost burdens impact on extremely low-income families and policies to improve housing stability, access to quality housing,

    and fair and dignified treatment of renters, including evictions policies.  On numerous occasions, Nelima helped inform MHP’s policy positions, especially emergency housing assistance. She ensured MHP’s communications with policymakers, the administration, and the media reflected the experiences and needs of the tenant communities she organizes. She co-chairs Congresswoman Omar’s Eviction Task Force.

    Asad Aliweyd of New American Development Center

    Asad’s leadership in helping to advance local and federal advocacy efforts and his role in influencing state policy development and advocacy was critical to MHP this year. He worked across sectors and levels of government to build the public narrative around housing, with consistent focus on uplifting voices of renters, under-resourced households, and the East African community. His leadership in lobbying Hennepin County Commissioners helped secure significant increases in housing resources for the county. His relationships with Minnesota members of Congress helped MHP more deeply engage with electeds, and helped produce a forum with hundreds of attendees. He is also a founding member of Opportunity Starts at Home Minnesota Chapter. Asad was a regular participant, speaker, and policy thought leader at MHP hosted events including MHP’s Legislative Update series, speaker at the IC breakfast, and participant in MHP’s COVID-19 task force.

    Chad Adams of Southwest Minnesota Housing Partnership

    Chad engaged directly with legislators through trips to the State Capitol and direct lobbying. He was critical in helping MHP engage with key lawmakers in Southwest Minnesota throughout regular session and special sessions. He used his relationships to help navigate complex political dynamics and foster understanding. Chad responded to odd hour and weekend texts and calls asking for his assistance to lobby lawmakers on urgent matters. He always found time to advise MHP staff on policy issues and proposals, including through participation in MHP’s COVID-19 Housing Task Force. In this forum, he highlighted unique challenges for rural Minnesota communities. Chad eagerly stepped up to serve as the Homes for All Co-Chair after initial MHP outreach. His advocacy efforts were noticed by the statewide membership, which overwhelming supported his nomination.

    Swift County Collaborative

    Swift County partners participated in MHP’s Housing Institute (Round 6). Following the conclusion of the institute, Swift County RDA, HRA, and the County Administration continued to advocate for policy goals in furtherance of their community development priorities. With the support of County Commissioners, they proposed and received approval for a Swift County Local Housing Trust Fund in 2020. Along the way, they worked with MHP staff to advocate at the state level for a state match for local housing trust funds, including contacting their local lawmakers including chief author Senator Andrew Lang (17, R). Swift County HRA and RDA staff worked with MHP technical assistance providers on acquiring and preserving multi-family rural rental homes (USDA Rural Development 515 properties). In so doing, they built and maintained relationships with former Congressman Colin Peterson and his staff, ensuring their federal representatives were educated on the housing needs of Swift County

    RobynLingen

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