Minnesota Organizers Win $40 Million Rental Aid as Eviction Filings Rise After ICE Surge
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jun 21
Minnesota Organizers Win $40 Million Rental Aid as Eviction Filings Rise After ICE Surge
1 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jun 21
Summary
$40 million in emergency rental assistance was secured from Minnesota in May after months of pressure from neighborhood organizers trying to keep families housed.
The push grew out of an ICE surge in Minneapolis that left some families missing rent after arrests and job losses, while private donations from parents and neighbors began to run dry.
The state package marks a fourfold increase over Minnesota's typical annual spending on this kind of homelessness prevention.
Local government action had been limited before the state move: Minneapolis approved $3.8 million in rental aid, Mayor Jacob Frey vetoed a temporary eviction-grace extension, and Gov. Tim Walz declined to impose an eviction moratorium.
Organizers say the funding is only a partial fix because rising eviction filings point to a broader housing crisis that emergency aid alone may not solve.