In 2016, Ubah Shire received a Section 8 voucher to cover a portion of her rent, which changed her life. Having immigrated from Somalia when she was just 16 years old, she completed two years of college—the first in her family to do so. But when she had to move out of her apartment because of an emergency, finding another apartment that accepted her voucher was virtually impossible.
For months, she searched online, made phone calls, and drove around looking for a vacancy, but she could not find a single landlord who would accept her voucher. Finally, she was forced to email her caseworker, thanking her for the support but explaining that the voucher was useless.
“I had no choice but to give up my hopes of finishing school for social work and instead get two jobs to be able to afford an apartment that didn’t accept Section 8 — just to avoid becoming homeless with my children,” she says.
Now a tenant organizer herself, Shire is part of a coalition called Equity in Place that is working to change outdated state laws that, advocates say, allow landlords and developers to undermine organizing efforts, unjustly evict tenants, and discriminate against Minnesotans because of where they come from or how they pay their rent.
At the Minnesota state capitol last month, the Equity in Place coalition called for legislators to pass policies this session that will balance the scales for tenants’ rights and bring Minnesota in line with the rest of the nation.
“In 2023, state lawmakers passed critical protections for tenants — but more needs to be done,” Juan Luis Rivera-Reyes, coalition organizer at The Alliance, which convenes the Equity in Place coalition, said at the press conference. “This session, legislators must prioritize policies that give renters the fundamental right to choose where they live, stay where they are, and come together as neighbors to make sure their housing is safe, dignified and reliable.”
In recent years, residential leases have become longer and more complex, shifting more and more rights and protections to the landlords who profit rather than the tenants who pay. An analysis by HOME Line of a standard 52-page lease found that fully 52% of the clauses are in the interests of landlords while only 6% are in the interests of tenants.
At the press conference, Jean Flores, a Native American grandmother and renter in an affordable housing community in Spring Lake Park, emphasized the need for a Tenant Right to Organize law to ensure renters don’t face intentional barriers to or retaliation for mobilizing together around their common interests and rights.
“Many of my neighbors and friends are immigrants from the East African community who moved to Minnesota to escape civil war,” Flores said. “As a tenant leader, I know this community is especially afraid of retaliation, as they see what happens to their neighbors who are actively organizing, and they are afraid of losing their new life in Minnesota. Having an affirmative tenant right to organize would support multi-cultural organizing and relationships that make our lives and communities stronger.”
Representative Maria Isa Perez-Vega, who sponsored the bill in the House, agreed. “A strong community is built on the foundation of empowered individuals,” she said. “Just as a healthy democracy thrives on collective participation, a thriving tenant population has the right to organize and advocate for their well-being. This right to organize is not a privilege, but a cornerstone of a just and equitable living environment.”
Despite having faced retaliatory fees from her landlord for testifying in support of renters’ rights in the past, Marian Butler, a tenant leader with African Career, Education and Resource Inc., addressed the need for another crucial piece of legislation: Just Cause protections.
Right now, landlords in Minnesota can choose not to renew a lease — effectively pushing a tenant out of their home — even if that renter has done nothing wrong. “It’s critically important that there be a legal process that landlords must follow, and that process needs to be fair, just and equitable,” she said.
Representative Esther Agabje, vice chair of the Minnesota House Housing Committee, authored a bill to do just that. “Clear guidelines for tenancy termination, based on demonstrably just cause, provide security for tenants while ensuring responsible property management,” she said. “This balanced approach strengthens communities and promotes long-term prosperity.”
Advocates also amplified the Housing Stability Act, which would bar landlords from discriminating against tenants who utilize rental assistance vouchers, like Section 8, and for changes to Minnesota Landlord-Tenant Law to reduce the power imbalance between tenants and landlords.
In partnership with COPAL, they also highlighted the need for a law allowing immigrants to use their Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN) to apply for an apartment rather than being required to provide a Social Security number. As of early April, many of these provisions have been incorporated into a Tenant Omnibus Bill that still must be heard and voted on in both the House and the Senate.
“For years, we’ve heard repeatedly that we just need to build more homes to address the housing crisis,” said Rivera-Reyes. “But we will never solve the housing crisis without increasing the power of renters, who are on the frontlines daily. It’s time for lawmakers to ensure tenants across the state have the agency and ability to be part of the solution.”
Carolyn Szczepanski welcomes reader response to Carolyn@alliancetc.org.
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