HOUSING JUSTICE
Housing is a fundamental necessity, but the commodification of housing has often stripped it of its inherent humanity. In ACER's catchment area, a significant portion of the population are tenants, many of whom are BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color). Systemic racism in housing continues to permeate their lives, leading to numerous housing challenges such as strained tenant-landlord relationships, insufficient tenant protections, pest and health issues, undignified living conditions, rent increases, evictions, and displacement.
At ACER, our primary focus is tenant organizing. Given the complexity of housing issues, we employ both city-wide and state-wide approaches to effect change.
City-Wide Approaches:
ACER believes that tenant empowerment is key to improving housing outcomes.
We recognize that tenants are not only experts on the challenges they face but are also capable of leading solutions. By fostering leadership among tenants, they can address their own issues through civic engagement.
We identify tenant leaders within various apartment complexes in the region, provide training and support to help them organize their communities, and assist in resolving immediate issues through engagement with city authorities, elected officials, and property management.
In 2022, we successfully supported the passing of the Just Cause Eviction policy in Brooklyn Center.
To read the language for the Just Cause Tenant Protection Ordinance, click here.
State-Wide Approaches:
The housing challenges present in ACER’s catchment areas often reflect issues faced statewide. As such, we collaborate with housing organizers across Minnesota to support statewide campaigns. We engage tenant leaders to amplify policies and housing solutions that can benefit communities on a larger scale.
Some of our state-wide initiatives include Equity in Place (EIP) Coalition, ERASE Campaign, and Our Future Starts at Home coalition.
Equity in Place (EIP) Coalition
Equity in Place is a diverse group of strategic partners from organizations led by people of color and housing advocacy organizations that believe that everyone in the Twin Cities region deserves to live where they want to live and have access to opportunity. We utilize community leadership to advocate and pass housing policies that further promote housing outcomes in Minnesota. In 2024, we passed the Omnibus Housing Bill, with ACER particularly supporting the right to Organize bill.
ERASE Campaign
ACER co-convenes the Minnesota ERASE Campaign (End Rental Arrears and Stop Evictions) in an effort to ensure that the historic aid enacted by Congress reaches the lowest-income and most marginalized renters it is intended to help. Our tenant leaders spearheads this work to eliminate rental indebtedness caused by the pandemic, prevent evictions, and create support for long term policy changes to end housing instability and homelessness.
Our Future Starts at Home coalition
OFSAH coalition is a group of housing advocates statewide that is pushing for a constitutional amendment that will make stable housing affordable by dedicating sustainable funding for housing. The Our Future Starts at Home Constitutional Amendment will raise and dedicate critical funding so Minnesotans can afford a home, and it will also ensure that communities have a powerful voice in where that funding goes and that we’re meeting the needs on the ground.
If are a tenant wanting to learn more about Housing, contact:
ARU sasikumar at asasikumar@acerinc.org
HOUSING JUSTICE STORIES
