BY ED FELIEN
A super-majority of the Minneapolis City Council issued a Housing First statement of principles and objectives. Finland has a policy of Housing First as a solution to homelessness: first, get them a safe place to stay, then get them a job, and then make them pay rent.
Here is the City Council statement:
Minneapolis City Council Addresses the City’s Housing Crisis
On Sept. 19, 2024, the Minneapolis City Council Members took decisive action to prevent and respond to unsheltered homelessness. A super majority of the City Council passed policies to extend the notification period for evictions, mandate regular reporting for encampments, and save a shelter on the brink of closing.
Minneapolis, MN. - At the Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024 Minneapolis City Council Meeting, Council Members unanimously passed an ordinance extending the notification period required for evictions from 14 to 30 days and passed an ordinance mandating the city report on the cost and effectiveness of the Frey Administration’s encampment sweeps with a veto-proof majority. Council Members also allocated $1.5 million in funding for the rehabilitation of Agate’s Board & Lodge Transitional Housing Facility & Shelter – which services 137 residents – to prevent them from closing their doors permanently, in a 10-3 vote.
“The Minneapolis City Council is committed to doing everything in our power to address the crisis of unsheltered homelessness facing our City,” said Council President Elliott Payne. “From giving people more time when they are notified being evicted to prevent homelessness, to saving over 100 shelter beds we can’t afford to lose, and having more transparency and reporting around the removal of encampments, these three actions show we are looking to help people all across the spectrum of homelessness so we can solve this crisis.”
Council members supporting this comprehensive set of Housing First policies are clear that this council meeting reflects the priority a super majority of the body holds: taking urgent action to address unsheltered homelessness which the City has already declared a public health emergency.
“Six years ago Mayor Frey promised to end homelessness in the City of Minneapolis, yet today the amount of unsheltered people in our city has only increased while the Frey administration hides behind misinformation to carry out traumatic, costly, and ineffective encampment sweeps while offering no solutions,” said Council Vice President Chughtai, who was an author on the budget amendment to save Agate and mandate encampment reporting, and voted in support of extending pre-eviction notice. “This Council took action today to address this public health crisis, and we will continue to do this work throughout the term.”
“Homelessness in Minneapolis has been declared a public health emergency, but we are still falling short in meeting the urgent needs of our unhoused population. This is more than just a public health crisis — it’s a responsibility we can’t turn away from. Every shelter bed we lose is another person left without safety, stability, or dignity, and that’s simply unacceptable,” said Council Member Emily Koski, one of the authors providing emergency funding. “We can’t afford to just talk about the problem — it’s time to act, and for me, that means being part of the solution. Our spending is a reflection of our shared values and priorities. And when we have the resources and a unique opportunity to improve our communities, we must lead with those values. Today we did just that. We showed we truly care about addressing homelessness.”
“Homelessness poses a significant public health crisis, which exacerbates vulnerabilities and exposes our unhoused neighbors to severe health risks,” said Council Member Jason Chavez. “The Agate facilities provide critical shelter capacity and support to individuals experiencing homelessness. Without this funding, Agate’s closure would further strain the City’s capacity to meet the urgent need for safe, secure, and accessible shelter. The Council’s action today will help alleviate the public health emergency before us.”
“Our community has stood for a compassionate, humane, and dignified response to those that are unhoused. The City of Minneapolis has declared unsheltered homelessness a public health crisis. In order to solve this problem, we have to take the first step of ensuring transparency, accountability, and oversight over City Actions – it should concern everyone that under the direction of Mayor Frey that this was not already occurring.” said Council Member Aurin Chowdhury, lead author of the Encampment Removal Reporting Ordinance. “This Ordinance will help us understand the cost and human outcomes of encampment evictions, giving the council and the public the accurate information needed to make sound, data driven policy that works towards solving the crisis of unsheltered homelessness in Minneapolis.”
The Council Members supporting today’s housing actions are clear that these policies demonstrate an ongoing commitment, and Minneapolis residents can expect to see more actions from the Council that reflect a housing first model.
End of statement.
Hennepin County Commissioner Angela Conley recently wrote in her newsletter: “Hennepin County and our partners are housing and helping veterans overcome homelessness at a higher rate than veterans are coming into the homelessness system.
“As a result, the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH), Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) have certified that we effectively ended homelessness among veterans in Minnesota’s largest county.
“Hennepin County is one of the most populous counties in the country to achieve an effective end to veteran homelessness,” said USICH Executive Director Jeff Olivet. “Hennepin County’s efforts are a case study in successful homelessness policy, and we encourage other communities to follow in their footsteps as we work together to ensure every veteran has a home.”
But not everyone is celebrating, yet.
We received this Letter to the Editor from longtime friend, Dave Moore:
“I was startled to read in your fine paper that the city counts only 209 sleeping outside.
I have no reason not to trust the number provided by Cam Gordon. But, why do they all seem to be living in my neighborhood, East Phillips? I am shocked that such a relatively small number could have the impact they do on both city resources and the quality of life where I live. This seems very wrong, from whatever angle I view it.”
Myron Orfield is working on that.
Myron Orfield, former popular South Minneapolis State Legislator and the Earl R. Larson Professor of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, and the Director of the Institute on Metropolitan Opportunity, is preparing a report on the effect of homelessness on the Phillips Neighborhood with an understanding of the regional economics and history of racial segregation.
