Housing

As leaders in this city, we need to do more than just put words on paper, we need to implement real action and real solutions to tackle our affordable housing challenges, invest in dignified, long-term solutions to the growing and increasingly vulnerable homeless population, as well as balance our approach in the way we grow and develop this city. Everyone deserves a safe, stable, and affordable place to call home. Transitional housing, access to social services, and increased incentives to develop affordable housing must be prioritized for our most vulnerable neighbors. Additionally, we must leverage Minneapolis 2040 to protect the rights of renters, while also being mindful of new developments as our city and ward continue to grow. Developments should go beyond just apartments which leave out many members of our community (multi-generational families, families with children, the aging members of our community, our disability community, and others) Creating pathway’s to home ownership and wealth generation should be at the forefront of our work around housing. Renters should not have to live in sub-standard conditions, anywhere in our city. This has to be a collaborative effort across city, county, and state governments/agencies. Some specific commitments I make to you, housing strategies, programs, and ideas that I support are:

  • Investing in a variety of developments throughout our city to address our affordable housing needs, creating more than just apartments. Investments in innovation and adapting city code to allow for new models of homes such as tiny homes, small homes, shipping container homes, and other innovative accessory dwelling units. Development should include a variety of housing options, styles, formats, and ability to purchase versus just rent.

  • Expanding affordable housing and preserving existing affordable housing by prioritizing the development of diverse affordable housing solutions and types. Being committed to preserving our options for affordable housing is key and ordinances like the Advanced Notice of Sale will help to ensure we are not leaving residents without housing suddenly while I also support investing in incentives for property owners and developers to maintain affordable housing units. We also must continue to make investments as a city into our affordable housing fund to support the multi-prong approach to development of affordable housing units available to meet our needs.

  • Protect the rights of renters throughout our city. Throughout the majority of my life in Minneapolis I have been a renter, having personally lived in a property owned by one of the city’s most notorious poor landlords. I know first hand what its like to not have things repaired, bug/insect issues, poor building conditions, and more. We must hold landlords accountable to providing safe, clean, and affordable apartments to our residents.

  • Supporting landlords investments by streamlining the licensing and permitting processes, connecting landlords with support and resources to ensure they can provide housing to our residents that is safe, accessible, and affordable. Creating space to listen to the concerns of landlords and work collaboratively together to build a strong rental market for decades to come.

  • Keeping homes affordable by ensuring continued development of housing options in our city, creating programs to allow seniors to continue to age in their homes, and continuing to expand the array of housing options for our neighbors with the lowest incomes

  • Holding developers and landlords accountable is key to how we continue to make our city an attractive place to work, raise a family, build a business, visit for entertainment or arts, and more. Developers must be held to a standard of development that will ensure safe, accessible, and affordable housing for our residents and landlords must be held to a standard of providing safe, well maintained, and affordable housing rentals.

  • Unsheltered resources and long-term dignified solutions for those experiencing homelessness. Projects like the Avivo village are great transitional housing projects. I support expanding transitional housing while also making investments in programs and development of more permanent affordable housing for those struggling the most.

  • Creating pathways to home ownership and wealth generation by working with developers to produce more homeownership and housing opportunities across the city in a variety of home types and styles to meet the needs of our community, without leaving anyone out of the fold.