Good to see the MN Spokesman-Recorder keeping the homeless crisis on the front page with Charles Hallman’s article, “Advocates use Super Bowl to highlight housing crisis,” (February 1-7). But the approach talked about in the article is shortsighted.
For organizations to pay peoples’ rent without holding landlords accountable is a form of codependence. Currently, landlords addicted to raising rents without addressing their addiction only makes the situation worse. They’ll just keep raising the rent and organizations will have to pay even more to keep poor people in their apartments.
Mayor Frey said affordable housing is [his] number one priority. Rents are going through the roof. If this is true, that affordable housing is his number one priority, then getting to the root cause is what he should focus on, and that would be landlord greed.
But the mayor knows if he goes after the landlords he will be labeled a “radical,” and it will jeopardize his oh-so-bright political future. So, he will play nice.
Affordable housing is a predatory issue. It is a civil rights issue.
Renters are not getting the same equal protection under the law as property owners. Non-property owners have nowhere to go; they are at the mercy of rental property owners. Property owners prey upon them, and take advantage of them financially.
If the mayor really believes “this is the crucial issue of our time,” then he needs to get down in the trenches and fight for real justice that will help renters in the long run.
Frank Erickson lives in Minneapolis.
Reach the staff at the MSR at msrnewsonline@spokesman-recorder.com.
I emailed Mayor Frye last week because there is literally no housing in Minneapolis I can afford. I need to stay in S Mpls so my son can get to school, but I only get $800/Mo in child support right now & there aren’t even studio apartments available for less than that. I’ve been dealing with SSI/SSDI for almost 2 years now & I still have no idea if/when I’ll be approved. I’m hoping Mayor Frye will answer me, but I’m not holding my breath. Im getting kicked out of the apartment I’m currently in at the end of this month, and even though it is not a ‘habitable’ situation per second, it’s still a roof over our heads. It’s full of mold, the roof is wrecked, so it actually rains in the hallway when it rains outside, and I currently have a dead raccoon that’s been rotting in the wall since November 2017. I just need a break. My son& I have literally been couch hopping for 5 years now. I wish I could give him some stability. If anyone reading this has any suggestions or advice, I’d welcome it. Also, to the author, you are absolutely correct. It’s greed that needs to be addressed. I hope that happens at some point sooner than later. Thanks for writing this piece.