To:

Senator Tomassoni Senator Cohen Representative Garofalo Representative Knoblach

Date: March 28, 2016 Re: Governor Dayton’s Supplement Budget Dear Legislative Committee Chairs, Homes for All is a statewide alliance of almost 130 housing and homeless organizations who are working toward housing solutions for Minnesota. This legislative session we have prioritized investing in bonds for housing due to the state’s budget cycle and the positive impact we know housing bonds can make across the continuum of housing. However, we were pleased to see the Governor recognize a number of important areas of housing in his supplemental budget and wanted to share with you our support of one of those items in particular, $250,000 for a Landlord Guarantee Fund Pilot. We are particularly enthusiastic about the Landlord Guarantee Fund Pilot because we recognize the deep challenges faced by those with barriers to housing. We work with organizations from across the state, especially in rural areas, that have identified the need to access the private housing market as part of the solution to ending homelessness. As areas experience lower vacancy levels, many organizations who are part of Homes for All struggle to house these individuals and families every day, and spend a great deal of their time trying to entice landlords to rent to these individuals with few tools to aid in that process. This is particularly frustrating because these service providers also know that once housed, most of these individuals and families are no riskier as any other tenant. This pilot will make a real impact in expanding the opportunities for “high risk” families and individuals to live integrated in the community and in housing of their choice across the state. We are excited about this idea, and believe that investing in the Landlord Guarantee Fund Pilot could be the beginning of an innovative program that creates more stable, safe and affordable housing options throughout the state. Therefore, we urge you to support this small but potentially impactful program as you put together your supplemental budgets. Thank you, Darielle Dannen, Metropolitan Consortium of Community Developers, Co-chair Homes for All Dana Hiltunen, Virginia & Eveleth HRA, Co-chair Homes for All CC: House Job Growth and Energy Affordability Policy and Finance Committee Members of House Ways and Means Committee Senate Finance – Natural Resources, Economic Development, and Agricultural Budget Division Senate Finance Committee