MINNEAPOLIS — Too many Minnesota families are struggling to keep a roof over their heads. A new report from the State of the State Housing found that the median rent has increased by 8% in the past year.
“Housing is a basic human need. Everyone needs a place to sleep at night,” said Anne Mavity, executive director of the Minnesota Housing Partnership.
According to the report, half of all renters are paying more than they can afford for housing. It also showed that evictions were up 8% from the previous year. That only adds to the tragic number: Nearly 20,000 Minnesotans are struggling with homelessness on any given night.
“Across Minnesota, we currently have a shortage of 114,000 homes that are available and affordable for the lowest-income communities,” Mavity said.
According to Mavity, affordable housing means no more than 30% of your household income.
“For the people who pour us our coffee in the morning, for the people who care for our children and for my mother, those essential jobs don’t pay enough to afford an average two-bedroom apartment,” Mavity said.
She says it’s not their fault, the state housing system is broken and they are working to fix it.
“There’s a wide spectrum of needs and people are looking for housing. Sometimes it’s supportive housing and you need case management, addiction support and sometimes we just need affordable housing,” said Carla Godwin, executive director of the PERIS Foundation.
Lydia Apartment and Anishinaabe Apartments are examples of how organizations are addressing the problem.
“The price of building often gets in the way, so we have public and private partners trying to figure out how we can move forward in these situations and build enough housing,” Godwin said.
