One piece of the solution is that we simply need more housing to be available. Right now, most local cities have zoning rules that only allow large single-family homes on most of the town’s land (sometimes called “exclusionary zoning”), with small sections that allow larger apartment or condo buildings. Very few spaces are allowed to build duplexes, fourplexes, townhomes, or small apartment or condo buildings. Building this “missing middle” type of housing in places where roads, water & sewer lines, and other public needs are already available is far more affordable - and climate friendly - than continues to build in undeveloped areas. Changing or removing other zoning requirements - like minimum lot sizes or extensive parking requirements - can reduce the cost of housing and allow more homes to be built.

Another piece of the solution is making the rental homes that do exist more accessible to more Minnesotans. We support two key protections for renters in Minnesota:

• First, protection against source of income discrimination: Right now, landlords can discriminate against people who use housing vouchers to pay for part of their rent. This makes it incredibly difficult for the lowest-income families to find housing in the community where they work and go to school.

• Second, a right to reasonable criminal history lookbacks: Most Minnesotans with a criminal record cannot access housing, even if their offense is from decades prior and doesn’t impact their ability to be a good neighbor. We believe in real second chances and support a limit on the length of time and type of offenses that can be considered in denying someone’s rental application.

Long term, we know addressing the housing needs of Minnesotans will take ongoing investment - not just one time money - and a commitment to reform our housing system to be less about profit and more about providing homes to our neighbors.