Today, the Minnesota House DFL released their plan to reduce housing costs during the 2022 session. Homes for All is incredibly excited to see unprecedented and monumental $1.8 billion investments in housing across the continuum. These $1.8 billion investments will help us meet the critical and growing needs and ensure that all Minnesotans are safely and stably housed.
We want to thank the House DFL for recognizing the need for investments across the continuum. We have highlighted some of the pieces of the proposal below.
Build More Homes that Minnesotans Can Afford - The 2020 Census found that the Twin Cities has the worst housing shortage in the nation, and our housing shortage exists across the state. To address this, the House DFL proposes $600 million to build more housing for rental and homeownership opportunities, especially for Minnesotans with lowest incomes. This includes essential investments and expansions of Housing Infrastructure Bonds, the Challenge Program, and the Workforce Homeownership Program.
Make Housing More Affordable for Renters and Create More Homeowners - Many Minnesotans with low incomes struggle to pay for housing and often must choose between paying their housing costs or food and healthcare costs The House DFL includes $400 million to expand housing vouchers and rental assistance so no Minnesotans pay over 30% of their budget on housing, and $100 million to provide downpayment assistance to help first-time homebuyers purchase their home.
Save the Affordable Homes we Already Have - Much of our low-income housing across the state is in disrepair, forcing Minnesotans to live in unsafe and unstable housing like housing with lead paint, asbestos, a broken or unsafe furnace, or broken windows or roofs.The House DFL includes $250 million to preserve the low-income housing we already have and to invest in rehabilitation for our Public Housing, keeping our affordable housing affordable and ensuring it is habitable and safe.
Keep Unsheltered Minnesota Safe and Provide Pathways Out of Homelessness - About 20,000 Minnesotans experience homelessness each night, and the number of homelessness and unhoused Minnesotans continues to rise across the state. The House DFL includes $150 million in services for people experiencing homelessness and unsheltered Minneostans, including funding to build additional homeless shelters and opportunities to move people out of homelessness.
Emergency Rental and Landlord Assistance - With the closing of RentHelpMN on January 28, Minnesota is once again facing an eviction crisis. In order to prevent this eviction crisis, the House DFL invests an additional $300 million in Emergency Rental Assistance through June 1, 2022. This is a critical need, and Homes for All will work with both chambers of the Minnesota Legislature to make this happen as quickly as possible.
The highlighted investments will help bring safe, affordable,and accessible housing to thousands of Minnesotan households. We encourage legislators from all caucuses and areas of the state to work with the Homes for All Coalition to bring the reality of Home to our Minnesota neighbors. For more information about the Homes for All Policy agenda, please reach out to Annie Shapiro, Michael Dahl, or Zack Eichten.
Contact:
Annie Shapiro: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Michael Dahl: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Zack Eichten: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
