Angelique D., Yizheng L., Aye M., Iklaas M., Ifrah N., Mirjana R., Prisha R., Nicole S., Sydney S.
Across the nation, families are struggling with homelessness and housing insecurity. We need to treat the affordable housing shortage like the crisis that it is. Housing is a fundamental human right.
— Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), November 2019
The United States is experiencing a national housing crisis, and the effects on families and individuals are devastating. A lack of affordable housing, tight lending standards, restrictive zoning codes, low minimum wage, and racist housing policies are all factors that have contributed to a national housing crisis.
When people spend more than one third of the monthly income on housing, they are considered “cost-burdened,” but over a quarter of Americans are spending over half their monthly income on rent. This could be in part because an individual making the current federal minimum wage would need to work 127 hours a week to afford an average two-bedroom rental.
In addition to the high cost of rent in the United States, many lower cost rental units are in segregated communities. Many communities are still affected by racist and restricting zoning laws, as well as the lingering effects of redlining. In the past, homeowners and developers put clauses into contracts barring BIPOC from living in certain areas, and the areas where BIPOC were able to live experienced plummeting property values and a systemic disinvestment in the neighborhoods.
Regardless of the causes, individuals and families—especially BIPOC and low-income people—are impacted by these practices and circumstances, causing stress, pain, and financial struggles. No one should be forced to choose whether to pay rent or pay for groceries, or stay up at night wondering whether this is the year rent costs increase beyond what is affordable. However, that is the reality of many Americans.
The solution to the housing crisis is to establish policies that are directed at removing the factors responsible for creating this situation. Once each of the causes is addressed, communities can begin to rebuild and address the needs of their members beyond survival.
On a single night, over 10,000 people in Minnesota were homeless last year—the highest number ever recorded. 6,000 of them were youth—which means children are showing up at school without a place to go home to. And this does not include the thousands more who are behind on rent, or are looking for a permanent home after an eviction. And that’s just Minnesota.
— Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), November 2019
Minnesota’s housing crisis is defined by both a lack of affordable housing and a lack of housing in general. There are not enough places for individuals to live, and the spaces that are open are vastly out of reach for the budgets of most Minnesotans. On average, many of the houses being built in the state are priced above $350,000. Individuals who perhaps have the means to buy expensive houses are increasingly choosing not to, downsizing and purchasing houses that cost closer to $150,000 to $350,000. The result is that other, lower-income individuals are being priced out of homeownership, so they’re forced to rent. In turn, predatory landlords can exploit the fact that people have fewer options.
As mentioned above, many of the communities in Minnesota are still segregated as a result of racism and historical practices. Beginning in the late 1800s and early 1900s, racial covenants and redlining created a legal basis for segregating neighborhoods by making it illegal to sell certain properties to BIPOC. These practices continued and were used to justify predatory lending practices and low property values in BIPOC neighborhoods until they were outlawed in 1968. Even still, the after-effects of those practices and policies has created segregated neighborhoods nationally and in Minnesota.
Looking at the future of housing in the Twin Cities area, an estimated 273,000 new households and families will be moving to the area over the next 20 years. While that will build the workforce, it will also mean new housing units will be necessary. An estimated 14,368 new housing units will need to be added per year to accommodate that expected growth. Not only will the need for housing expand in the Twin Cities, but many urban and suburban communities in Minnesota will experience similar growth. In order to begin addressing the housing crisis in Minnesota, we must address the need for more affordable housing in the state.
One series of solutions that is being implemented to address the housing crisis in the Twin Cities is the Minneapolis 2040 Plan. The 2040 plan is a set of interconnected policy ideas designed to improve quality of live in Minneapolis by 2040. The plan includes 14 goals, including: eliminating disparities in race, ethnicity, and zip code; increasing access to affordable and quality housing; providing more jobs; implementing a livable wage; and more. One of the pieces of the 2040 plan is the elimination of single-family zoning. Restrictive zoning denies the creation of larger housing complexes, so eliminating single-family zoning allows for homes for multiple families to be built within a singular plot of land. This will also help diversify the range of housing options available in the city in the hopes of reducing housing disparities between groups. Another aspect of the 2040 plan that has been designed to reduce housing disparities is the implementation of a living wage and job training. Providing individuals with job training will ensure Minneapolis residents have access to living-wage jobs, which will allow them to better support themselves and their households without being cost-burdened by housing costs.
On a national level, Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar and New York Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney introduced the Affordable Housing Preservation Act to the U.S. House of Representatives on April 23rd, 2021. As people with deep understandings of the effects of housing crises on their states, the Congresswomen introduced this piece of legislation to fund the creation of community-based cooperative housing for low-income people. The housing would be developed through a $200 million grant program run by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The program is described as a first step in building affordable housing to ensure quality housing is available both in and for vulnerable communities. As Rep. Omar said, “This legislation will bring us one step closer to a world free from homelessness and housing instability.” There is no one solution to the housing crisis, but by using a variety of tactics and addressing the multi-faceted causes of houselessness and housing insecurity and unaffordability, we can better ensure everyone has affordable and stable homes, in our state or beyond.
This legislation will bring us one step closer to a world free from homelessness and housing instability.
— Rep. Ilhan Omar (D–MN), April 2021
This post was written as part of a collaboration between Minnesota Youth Collective and a University of Minnesota class, SW1501. This class, Introduction to Peace Studies, discusses how human conflicts can be resolved in ways that promote justice and peace. Students collaborated with MNYC staff to research and write posts about our issue areas of focus.
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