I recently received this information from a friend. It adds yet another
perspective to the 2040 "Comprehensive" Plan that indicates a large hole in
the plan. If Minneapolis is sincere about ending homelessness, this
approach of destroying public housing is a massive step in the wrong
direction. I
*Janet Nye*
*Phillips*
*Dear Allies: We need your support to s**ubmit public comments by this
Sunday July 22 to the 2040 Comprehensive Plan to keep public housing
public, and to build more public housing in Minneapolis.*
perspective to the 2040 "Comprehensive" Plan that indicates a large hole in
the plan. If Minneapolis is sincere about ending homelessness, this
approach of destroying public housing is a massive step in the wrong
direction. I
*Janet Nye*
*Phillips*
*Dear Allies: We need your support to s**ubmit public comments by this
Sunday July 22 to the 2040 Comprehensive Plan to keep public housing
public, and to build more public housing in Minneapolis.*
*Introduction: *
Defend Glendale & Public Housing Coalition is a grassroots campaign of
residents organizing to prevent the privatization of Glendale & the rest of
public housing in Minneapolis. The objective of the campaign is to ensure
zero displacement, eliminate systematic gentrification, protect, and build
more public housing, and to minimize the racial and economic inequities
currently facing Minneapolis and Hennepin County.
Sunday, July 22, less than one week from today, is the final day the City
will receive public comments on the draft Minneapolis 2040 Comprehensive
Plan. The Comprehensive Plan is meant to guide and provide a framework for
city policy for the next twenty years. If approved in its current form, the
Comprehensive Plan will do nothing to address the widening racial and
income disparities, stop the privatization of public housing, or stop the
displacement of low-income communities of color out and the whitening of
Minneapolis.* There is no mention of public housing whatsoever in the 2040
Plan. *This is a deliberate housing crisis created by MPHA and Mayor Jacob
Frey along with silent elected officials that support this plan.
*Directions To Submitting Comments: *
Unfortunately, the City of Minneapolis will only accept written comments
submitted through their website. This marginalizes many communities that
have no access to computers or do not speak English. This describes the
majority of public housing residents, as well as the low-income communities
of color, immigrants, and refugees who live in Minneapolis. Therefore, we
are asking our allies who do have access to the internet to submit the
seven demands listed below to help us meet our goals. Please follow the
link below so you can submit these demands as well as your own comments to
the 2040 Comprehensive Planâs website, and share this with your friends and
community: https://minneapolis2040.com/comment-form/
*Seven Comments to Keep Public Housing Public and to Build More Public
Housing in Minneapolis.*
1. *Protect all public housing and build more*: Create a
permanent-public policy, county, city- wide ordinances, and state bills to
protect all public housing units as public housing in Minneapolis and build
more public housing. This includes 42 high rises, over 740 homes, Glendale
Townhomes, more public housing homes, and over 6,040 current public housing
units. Prohibit the sale or lease of land to private developers/investors,
or MPHA becoming a private investor, charging market prices for profit
through Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, or Land Use Restrictive Agreements,
etc. Adhere to the permanent protection land trust Declaration of Trust
(DOT).
2. *Stop the sale and lease of public housing buildings: *Public housing
properties are currently the first target of conversion by MPHA to private
developers, and investors. This includes Glendale Townhomes, Cedar
Riverside Public Housing, Elliot Twins, Horn Towers, Friendly Manor, Spring
Manor, and Rainbow Terrace to name a few. This also includes public
housing buildings in Wards that predominantly house East African Somali and
Oromo elders that are the first target, and all public housing properties.
¡ *Stop all methods of privatization by MPHA including Section 8
private ownership conversion that will allow 99.99% of the buildings be
turned over to private developers. This would displace residents, who will
not be relocated after any/all redevelopment to the properties. *
¡ *Stop privatization schemes such as (so-called) âpublic-private
partnershipsâ for public housing--including HUDâs Rental Assistance
Demonstration (RAD) program, Section 18 Demolition/Disposition, âVoluntary
Conversion,â removal of public ownership requirements established by
Declarations of Trust on public housing properties, etc. These schemes,
which MPHA is openly planning for
<https://www.dgphc.org/2018/04/18/mphas-pathways-to-preservation-video-charts-pathway-to-privatization/>
would permanently transfer ownership to private banks and investors,
opening new pathways to rent hikes and displacement.*
1. *Eliminate future displacement*: *Build more public housing that
charges 30% of income for rent for low-income tenants, and stop the
privatization of public housing to minimize displacement, homelessness,*
the housing crisis, social & economic crisis. And, approve Glendale
Townhomesâ application for local historical designation at Minneapolis City
Council.
2. *Fund public housing as a public good*: Access public funds from the
State, County, and City to keep public housing public. Funding for public
housing (through the City Levy, County Funds, Affordable Housing fund,
etc.) must be added to the City of Minneapolis, County, and State
legislative agenda. *Public funding to private developers that build
temporarily limited-income-based housing for low-income families must be
eliminated. Instead, that funding should be used to build more public
housing, as well as funding & sustaining public housing, which provides a
long-term safety net, and provides social and economic stability to
low-income residents of Minneapolis. *
3. *Hold MPHA accountable to fix & repair Glendale Townhomes and Other
Properties*: MPHA must eliminate its âzero budgetâ policy for Glendale
repairs and maintenance and other properties. This is the only option to
preserve Glendale and other properties as they exist now (truly public
housing), and to not convert them to any private development, which would
permanently displace current residents.
4. *Income-based definitions of housing affordability,* instead of AMI
(âarea median incomeâ) based definitions: *The Comprehensive Plan should
establish that housing officially deemed âaffordableâ must guarantee rents
are set according familiesâ actual ability to pay, at 30% of their income
instead of using AMI, which is inflated statistical averages that include
rich, mostly White suburbs, and currently allows developers to continually
set higher and higher rents while still being considered âaffordable
housing.â*
Please read our full analysis on AMI Here: https://www.dgphc.org/2018/05/
10/ami-housing-deeply-unaffordable-for-low-income-families-part-2/
<https://www.dgphc.org/2018/05/10/ami-housing-deeply-unaffordable-for-low-income-families-part-2/>
5. *City oversight of Minneapolis Public Housing Authority (MPHA*): The
Comprehensive Plan must re-assert the Cityâs statutory ability to provide
public oversight and control of MPHA, and *prevent MPHA from acting as a
rogue agency bent on the privatization of public housing and spinning
itself off into an unaccountable nonprofit that acts in the interests of
private investment funding instead of the public good.*
Defend Glendale & Public Housing Coalition is a grassroots campaign of
residents organizing to prevent the privatization of Glendale & the rest of
public housing in Minneapolis. The objective of the campaign is to ensure
zero displacement, eliminate systematic gentrification, protect, and build
more public housing, and to minimize the racial and economic inequities
currently facing Minneapolis and Hennepin County.
Sunday, July 22, less than one week from today, is the final day the City
will receive public comments on the draft Minneapolis 2040 Comprehensive
Plan. The Comprehensive Plan is meant to guide and provide a framework for
city policy for the next twenty years. If approved in its current form, the
Comprehensive Plan will do nothing to address the widening racial and
income disparities, stop the privatization of public housing, or stop the
displacement of low-income communities of color out and the whitening of
Minneapolis.* There is no mention of public housing whatsoever in the 2040
Plan. *This is a deliberate housing crisis created by MPHA and Mayor Jacob
Frey along with silent elected officials that support this plan.
*Directions To Submitting Comments: *
Unfortunately, the City of Minneapolis will only accept written comments
submitted through their website. This marginalizes many communities that
have no access to computers or do not speak English. This describes the
majority of public housing residents, as well as the low-income communities
of color, immigrants, and refugees who live in Minneapolis. Therefore, we
are asking our allies who do have access to the internet to submit the
seven demands listed below to help us meet our goals. Please follow the
link below so you can submit these demands as well as your own comments to
the 2040 Comprehensive Planâs website, and share this with your friends and
community: https://minneapolis2040.com/comment-form/
*Seven Comments to Keep Public Housing Public and to Build More Public
Housing in Minneapolis.*
1. *Protect all public housing and build more*: Create a
permanent-public policy, county, city- wide ordinances, and state bills to
protect all public housing units as public housing in Minneapolis and build
more public housing. This includes 42 high rises, over 740 homes, Glendale
Townhomes, more public housing homes, and over 6,040 current public housing
units. Prohibit the sale or lease of land to private developers/investors,
or MPHA becoming a private investor, charging market prices for profit
through Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, or Land Use Restrictive Agreements,
etc. Adhere to the permanent protection land trust Declaration of Trust
(DOT).
2. *Stop the sale and lease of public housing buildings: *Public housing
properties are currently the first target of conversion by MPHA to private
developers, and investors. This includes Glendale Townhomes, Cedar
Riverside Public Housing, Elliot Twins, Horn Towers, Friendly Manor, Spring
Manor, and Rainbow Terrace to name a few. This also includes public
housing buildings in Wards that predominantly house East African Somali and
Oromo elders that are the first target, and all public housing properties.
¡ *Stop all methods of privatization by MPHA including Section 8
private ownership conversion that will allow 99.99% of the buildings be
turned over to private developers. This would displace residents, who will
not be relocated after any/all redevelopment to the properties. *
¡ *Stop privatization schemes such as (so-called) âpublic-private
partnershipsâ for public housing--including HUDâs Rental Assistance
Demonstration (RAD) program, Section 18 Demolition/Disposition, âVoluntary
Conversion,â removal of public ownership requirements established by
Declarations of Trust on public housing properties, etc. These schemes,
which MPHA is openly planning for
<https://www.dgphc.org/2018/04/18/mphas-pathways-to-preservation-video-charts-pathway-to-privatization/>
would permanently transfer ownership to private banks and investors,
opening new pathways to rent hikes and displacement.*
1. *Eliminate future displacement*: *Build more public housing that
charges 30% of income for rent for low-income tenants, and stop the
privatization of public housing to minimize displacement, homelessness,*
the housing crisis, social & economic crisis. And, approve Glendale
Townhomesâ application for local historical designation at Minneapolis City
Council.
2. *Fund public housing as a public good*: Access public funds from the
State, County, and City to keep public housing public. Funding for public
housing (through the City Levy, County Funds, Affordable Housing fund,
etc.) must be added to the City of Minneapolis, County, and State
legislative agenda. *Public funding to private developers that build
temporarily limited-income-based housing for low-income families must be
eliminated. Instead, that funding should be used to build more public
housing, as well as funding & sustaining public housing, which provides a
long-term safety net, and provides social and economic stability to
low-income residents of Minneapolis. *
3. *Hold MPHA accountable to fix & repair Glendale Townhomes and Other
Properties*: MPHA must eliminate its âzero budgetâ policy for Glendale
repairs and maintenance and other properties. This is the only option to
preserve Glendale and other properties as they exist now (truly public
housing), and to not convert them to any private development, which would
permanently displace current residents.
4. *Income-based definitions of housing affordability,* instead of AMI
(âarea median incomeâ) based definitions: *The Comprehensive Plan should
establish that housing officially deemed âaffordableâ must guarantee rents
are set according familiesâ actual ability to pay, at 30% of their income
instead of using AMI, which is inflated statistical averages that include
rich, mostly White suburbs, and currently allows developers to continually
set higher and higher rents while still being considered âaffordable
housing.â*
Please read our full analysis on AMI Here: https://www.dgphc.org/2018/05/
10/ami-housing-deeply-unaffordable-for-low-income-families-part-2/
<https://www.dgphc.org/2018/05/10/ami-housing-deeply-unaffordable-for-low-income-families-part-2/>
5. *City oversight of Minneapolis Public Housing Authority (MPHA*): The
Comprehensive Plan must re-assert the Cityâs statutory ability to provide
public oversight and control of MPHA, and *prevent MPHA from acting as a
rogue agency bent on the privatization of public housing and spinning
itself off into an unaccountable nonprofit that acts in the interests of
private investment funding instead of the public good.*