Every Minnesotan deserves a home. People from historically marginalized groups are more likely to suffer from housing insecurity and homelessness. For LGBTQIA+ youth and seniors, the disparity is even worse. I believe housing is a fundamental human right. In order to realize a future without homelessness, we must take the needs of all our diverse communities into account and protect against displacement while we build the affordable housing we need for the next fifty years.

HOUSING AS A HUMAN RIGHT

  • No Minnesotan should suffer from housing insecurity or homelessness. I plan to introduce a bill for an amendment to the MN constitution to make housing a guaranteed right for all.
  • Right now, the waiting list for income-based public housing is prohibatively long. In order to achieve true universality, we need to dramatically increase the number of income-based public housing units by building as a state enterprise.
  • As senator, I support bonding legislation and state funding for mixed income and affordable housing.
Aerial view of the Hiawatha Towers Public Housing Complex ─ from LakesNWoods.com, Late 1960s

UPZONING AND EQUALITY

  • Single family homes can often be converted into duplex, triplex, and fourplex units, but in some areas, it is illegal to do so due to zoning restrictions. We need to legalize fourplexes statewide to make room for more folks to have a home.
  • Once upon a time there was red-lining to keep our population racially and economically segregated. Now there is something called "exclusionary zoning" which prevents would-be homeowners from moving into certain areas because they can't afford to build mansions. We need to abolish exclusionary zoning.
Concept art for Minneapolis during fourplexes debate ─ from Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal

RENTERS' BILL OF RIGHTS

  • Because they own the shelter we need to survive, landlords inherently have a lot of power over renters. We need to take steps to balance this dynamic for a more fair society.
  • Often landlords require renters to prove that they make three or even four times the monthly rent. The reality is that many renters spend half or more of their income on housing. We need more reasonable requirements.
  • Currently, landlords have outsized power in disputes with renters because a bad mark in your rental history can prevent you from finding housing in the future. We need rental history reform so that one bad experience with a landlord won't ruin your life.
  • For many working families, eviction is a looming threat, especially during the cold winter months of Minnesota. We need eviction reform in Minnesota, including requiring landlords to give significant notice to renters before filing an eviction lawsuit, giving judges the discretion to stay an eviction due to extenuating circumstances such as a sudden loss of work, guaranteeing counsel to renters, and protecting renters from having to pay a landlords legal fees and court fees if they lose an eviction suit.
  • We need to establish a state fund to keep people in their homes in extenuating circumstances such as loss of employment or medical illness.
  • We need to repeal the statewide preemption on local rent control so that counties and municipalities can implement further protections for renters. We also need to open the door to research statewide limits to yearly rent increases.
Organizers rally in support of renters' rights ordinance ─ from MPR 7/11/2019