How to Help: 4 Things You Can Do following “Working and Homeless in America”

Thank you for joining us for a conversation with Brian Goldstone, author of There is No Place for Us: Working and Homeless in America. Feeling inspired to take action? Here are four ways you can further engage in housing solutions:

• Support and spread the word about the Community Sharing Fund: Help stabilize individuals and families experiencing a financial crisis by supporting this fund of flexible emergency resources.

• Get involved in the Minnesota and Reservation Homeless Studies: Help Minnesota better understand the pervasiveness of homelessness in the our state.

• Participate in the ERASE Campaign (End Rental Arrears and Stop Evictions): Help advocate for additional resources for emergency financial assistance and a stronger safety net.

• Share your story with Home Stories: What does home mean to you? What do you hope home means for other Minnesotans? Share your story and perspective and help change the narrative of housing in Minnesota.

In his moving and insightful remarks, Dr. Goldstone shared powerful stories about the extraordinary lengths people have to go through to survive in a housing system that is not working for them.

What can we do to build a stronger, more equitable housing system? The four ideas listed above are a strong start, but we know there is much more we need to do.

In Minnesota, we are dealing with many of the same challenges that are described in Brian Goldstone’s There is No Place for Us. Rising costs are pricing out our long-time residents, with a disparate impact on households with low incomes and communities of color. Working full time – working in jobs that provide essential services to our society – does not mean that you can afford a decent, dignified place to call home.

But there are differences in our local context, too. For example, Minnesota’s eviction process is longer than Georgia’s: we have a state-wide 14-day notice period before evictions can be filed, and in some local jurisdictions that notice period is extended to 30 or 60 days. Coupled with state and local emergency housing financial assistance programs, such as the Family Homeless Prevention and Assistance Program (FHPAP), families have some opportunities to receive emergency assistance before an eviction is filed. Housing court clinics in the counties with the highest eviction filings are providing legal and financial assistance on the spot at eviction court, thanks in part to several legal aid organizations and social service providers who have developed a coordinated, problem-solving approach to eviction prevention. However, the demand for these resources far outpaces the availability, so there is still much to do to make the Minnesota system a true safety net rather than a lottery.

Minnesota also has a statewide eviction expungement statute that allows for evictions to be removed from a person’s publicly accessible court records, giving a fresh start for their housing stability journey, rather than trapping them in the cycle of substandard or shadow market housing as described in There is No Place for Us. Additionally, legal aid and social service organizations are helping people navigate unfair rental housing application denials, as well as other fair housing violations.

Many local jurisdictions provide additional renter protections, as well as programs to support families at risk of eviction, doubled up, or not “technically” homeless. We also have programs and policies to address the ways that eviction, credit score, source of income/voucher utilization, and other background barriers impact the housing search and housing access. One example is Housing Link’s Beyond Backgrounds Financial Assurance program. In contrast to the for-profit third party lease co-signer company highlighted in There is No Place for Us, Beyond Backgrounds is run by a local non-profit who provides a risk mitigation fund for participating property owners/managers that helps pay back any additional costs incurred by the owner beyond what the security deposit would cover.  

This local context is important because it demonstrates how policy and programmatic choices can change the odds for families facing housing instability. But we know there is much more we need to do to ensure everyone has a safe and stable home. We all have a role to play in building a brighter future. Thank you for joining us, and please continue to stay engaged!