Counterpoint: Affordable housing advocates are here to stay

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When hardworking Minnesotans are struggling to keep up with rising housing costs, you know there’s a problem. Minnesotans who are increasingly concerned about housing instability demand immediate action and expect their elected leaders to prioritize affordable living for all. A long-term commitment is needed to ensure that everyone in our state can afford a place to call home.

In response to “State shouldn’t hoard affordable housing funds” (Jan. 24) by Evan Ramstad, it’s crucial to recognize that while robust, one-time funding from the state to create and preserve affordable homes for Minnesotans is a positive step, it is far from a comprehensive solution to the state’s housing problems.

Too many Minnesotans face the burden of not being able to afford a safe place to lay their heads each night. Rising costs due to inflation are only part of the picture. Wages that haven’t kept pace with living expenses, the necessity for multiple jobs to afford housing, and a shortage of available housing options are also significant contributors to the problem.

A one-time funding boost of $1 billion was historic and very helpful, but cannot single-handedly reverse these trends, and is not enough to address Minnesota’s housing needs. That’s why Ramstad’s idea that the need for affordable housing organizations will decrease over time is not realistic.

Moreover, Minnesotans across the state, including those in rural areas, are calling for a broader agenda to address housing issues. This includes ensuring a livable wage and job security. These are statewide issues that demand a unified response.

The proposed constitutional amendment to create a “legacy fund” for solutions to housing issues, much like the fund approved in 2008 to protect Minnesota’s clean water sources, represents this long-term, sustained commitment to address the problem. Comparing this with the temporary nature of recent funding makes it clear that a more consistent and reliable funding source is critical. We must build on the momentum of recent investment and not ease up on our efforts.

Our Future Starts at Home is a broad coalition of advocates, community and faith leaders, and housing champions committed to this work. Across our state, there are calls for more inclusive neighborhoods and a diversity of housing options, ranging from transitional and supportive housing to homeownership. We work to realize homes built with Minnesotans in mind, and with universal design to increase accessibility and prepare for a sustainable future.

After last year’s “windfall,” there will be little to continue supporting Minnesota renters. The amendment’s goals are to help Minnesotans facing housing instability and homelessness, and that includes providing consistent support for renters as well as affordable housing projects across the state. The amendment approaches housing holistically, as part of the fabric that makes a strong and thriving community. It also recognizes stable housing as a means to improve our workforce, provide construction jobs and increase economic output.

Ramstad focuses solely on development, failing to address the broad spectrum of housing challenges that the proposed amendment does address. The notion that creating a legacy fund now will reduce the urgency of addressing housing challenges is absurd. On the contrary, such a fund is a declaration of our ongoing commitment to tackle these issues head-on.

While we acknowledge the significance of the recent allocation for affordable housing in Minnesota, we must also recognize it as the beginning of a journey, not the end. Ramstad’s idea that nonprofit housing providers will no longer have a role as incomes improve ignores U.S. history. While the market has a critical role in creating more homes in Minnesota, it fails miserably in delivering and sustaining affordable housing choices, which is why nonprofit, philanthropic and government partners are necessary.

Housing is a basic human need that everyone should have access to, no matter what we look like or where we come from. Affordable housing is key to thriving communities, attracting good employers, improving the economic well-being for families, and growing the middle class. Minnesota’s goal should not just be to respond once to the current problems, but to build an enduring foundation that makes sure future generations of Minnesotans can live and thrive here.

Cristen Incitti is president and CEO, Habitat for Humanity of Minnesota. Anne Mavity is executive director of the Minnesota Housing Partnership. Paul D. Williams is president and CEO of Project for Pride in Living. Chad Adams is CEO of the Southwest Minnesota Housing Partnership. Francisco Segovia is executive director of COPAL Minnesota. Chris LaTondresse is president and CEO, Beacon Interfaith Housing Collaborative.