Minneapolis Eviction Ordinance Debate Highlights Urgent Need for Tenant Protections
The Minneapolis eviction ordinance debate underscores the need for stronger tenant protections as eviction continues to disproportionately impact Black women and vulnerable communities.
Last week, I spent several hours at City Hall waiting to testify in favor of a City of Minneapolis ordinance that would extend the pre-eviction deadline. It was strange to hear leaders who understand the harmful impacts of evictions argue against a measure designed to prevent them.
Research makes clear why eviction prevention saves lives. A 2024 article in the field of Housing Studies detailed the consequences that the threat of eviction has on tenants and their families. Among the documented impacts were increased mortality risk, mental health challenges, financial insecurity, and long-term barriers to accessing future housing. For families with school-aged children, the disruption caused by eviction can have lifelong consequences.
Evictions are not simply a condition of poverty; many studies suggest they actually cause poverty. A 2024 study by Yale University economists titled “Eviction and Poverty in American Cities” found that the economic consequences of eviction compound the health impacts. Across the board, Black women are disproportionately affected.
The problem is not new in Minneapolis. A 2019 report from the University of Minnesota, funded in part by the City of Minneapolis Innovation Team, examined the social crisis of eviction among Black women on the city’s Northside. In “The Illusion of Choice: Evictions and Profit in North Minneapolis,” researcher Brittney Lewis documented how eviction filings were concentrated in predominantly Black neighborhoods. Between 2013 and 2015, approximately 50% of Northside renters experienced at least one eviction filing, about 25% higher than nearby areas of the city. The report humanized the eviction process by engaging tenants, landlords, and community members, and the university’s Center for Urban and Regional Affairs recommended extending the eviction timeline as a policy response.
The crisis has only worsened since then. During the years examined in that report, eviction filings in Hennepin County were roughly half of what they were in 2025, when filings reached nearly 10,000 according to county dashboards.
At the same time, broader economic pressures have made housing instability even more acute. Federal crackdowns on diversity, equity, and inclusion programs had ripple effects in the labor market, excluding or pushing many Black women out of employment. The unemployment rate for Black women rose sharply in 2025. In Minneapolis, the crisis became so severe that Black women began organizing job fairs and even rent raffles to help one another stay afloat.
Local enforcement initiatives have also had consequences. Operation Metro Surge has disproportionately affected the livelihoods of Black immigrant and refugee women. Small businesses owned by Black women have been destabilized by coordinated harassment from right-wing influencers targeting industries such as childcare, as well as by aggressive federal enforcement actions that intimidate workers and customers alike. Employees in these sectors have seen reduced hours, and many immigrant-owned businesses are struggling simply to break even.
Layered on top of this is Minneapolis’ long history of housing inequality. Tenant advocacy organizations such as Inquilinxs Unidxs Por Justica argue that the growing dominance of corporate and private-equity landlords has accelerated the housing crisis since the 2009 recession.
Given these realities, it is nonsensical to argue that preventing evictions harms our communities. The threat of eviction destabilizes families and damages the health and well-being of our most marginalized neighbors. Extending the pre-eviction timeline is not a radical proposal, it is a modest step toward stability.
A temporary pause or extension in eviction timelines is a minimal act of justice that gives families the breathing room they need to stay housed.
As public servants who benefit from the labor of women, Black, Latino, immigrant, and working-class residents, our elected officials have a responsibility to prioritize policies that support the people who actually live in Minneapolis. The luxury preferences of wealthy landlords and nonprofit leaders who do not call this city home can wait.
The people who voted you into office cannot.
Minneapolis residents need breathing room, and they deserve it now.
Sagirah Shahid is an award-winning poet and was a finalist for the city of Minneapolis’ position of poet laureate.
You can find more about Shahid’s writing at https://sagirahshahid.com.