HOUSING:
When I close my eyes, I still see myself as one of four kids, bouncing from house to house. I see my single mother, a childcare worker, struggling to stay afloat and relying on Section 8 to help keep a roof over our heads.
Together, we are on a mission to end homelessness and guarantee housing for all.
My mom died in 2020 while waiting for access to housing and struggling with mental health, addiction, and heart failure. During the 2024 legislative session, my brother Steven died of an overdose while couch surfing and working full-time for minimum wage at Walmart.
No one should die waiting for a home. No one should have to choose between rent or a mortgage, groceries, gas, or medicine. And no one should be priced out of the community they call home.
We live in the richest country in the history of the world. We have the resources to make sure everyone has a roof over their head.
We must create dedicated, sustainable funding and right the course—transforming housing from a commodity into the public good it should be.
1.
To ensure all Minnesotans have safe, affordable, and secure housing we must address the roots of poverty and homelessness and meet people where they’re at, including intergenerational trauma, substance abuse, and mental health free of shame and without stigma.
2.
Expand and preserve affordable housing across all income ranges using public bonding, state matches to local housing trust funds, and incentivizing private socially motivated investors and rental property owners. No one should pay more than a third of their income for rent.
3.
Support for first-time home buyers, especially low-income and households of color, to buy their own home and begin building generational wealth.
4.
Local Government Aid dollars which will allow local governments to provide vital services while holding the line on property taxes so the burden of providing local services doesn’t fall so heavily on struggling homeowners.
5.
Expungement reform and landlord risk mitigation funds, which will help eliminate the barrier formerly incarcerated people face securing housing, and in preventing incarceration, gender-based violence, and substance abuse which are leading causes of homelessness.
6.
Housing accessibility for those with physical and sensory impairment, and cultural and gender affirming housing with supportive environment and services for unique needs of each community member.