The solution to the housing crisis created by Operation Metro Surge is to provide both rental assistance and eviction restrictions.
Over the past several weeks, there has been a lot of discussion about the best way to support our neighbors at risk of eviction due to the impacts of Operation Metro Surge. Some have argued that rental assistance is the only solution to this crisis.
But a “rental assistance only” strategy does not consider the reality of this moment for those who cannot pay their rent. The challenges our neighbors face right now require a more nuanced and multifaceted approach. This is not a choice of either 1) eviction restrictions or 2) rental assistance. Right now, our neighbors need both—they need more money, and they need more time.
As Minnesota’s largest nonprofit organization providing shelter and services to families experiencing homelessness, we work every day with people facing eviction and people who have been evicted. They come to us after rental assistance funds are depleted or are delayed, and eviction proceedings start. They come to us once they are evicted. Since the beginning of this year, requests for rental assistance through our Homelessness Prevention program have doubled, and we have been able to meet some of that need. But it has meant that our rental assistance fund, which is to last us all of 2026, is just about depleted.
We appreciate the well-meaning and thoughtful dialogue on this issue. We differ with some leaders on how to best keep people housed in the wake of the ICE surge. Meaningful solutions must both: 1) prevent eviction (give people more time); and 2) prevent people from incurring rental debt (give people money to pay rent). Eviction restrictions without rental assistance create insurmountable debt traps, and rental assistance without eviction restrictions won’t keep people housed if it doesn’t reach people in time. That’s why we support a solution that pairs rental assistance with eviction restrictions.
Eviction restrictions without rental assistance create insurmountable debt traps, and rental assistance without eviction restrictions won’t keep people housed if it doesn’t reach people in time. That’s why we support a solution that pairs rental assistance with eviction restrictions.
– Hoang Murphy, CEO
While we agree that rental assistance is one of the best solutions to the housing crisis our neighbors face because of Operation Metro Surge (and, more broadly, as a housing solution on the front-end), such assistance only works when there is enough time to get money into the hands of those who need it before they are evicted. People need a comprehensive solution as they face another rent due date, and mutual aid funding, which served as a stopgap measure, runs dry. People should not need to depend on the generosity of their neighbors; they should instead be able to rely upon their government to provide the most basic protections.
Our shelters should be places of last resort, not a remedy to address the housing crisis in our communities. The housing crisis predated Operation Metro Surge; the costs of housing, utilities, food, healthcare, and childcare are unaffordable for an increasing number of individuals and families. Our shelter systems are already beyond capacity, and the options for people to find alternative, affordable housing are dwindling.
This year, Minnesotans have unequivocally shown the world that we take care of one another. We need our leaders to continue that legacy, be courageous advocates for connection and the common good, and provide meaningful emergency rental assistance paired with eviction restrictions.
