News & Updates
This page contains the latest content we have posted. If you are looking for a specific resource or reference, check out our Resource Library. If you are looking for information about our work on a specific topic, you can look on the Our Work page.
For press inquiries, please email info@hjcmn.org.
Opening the Door: Tenant Screening and Selection
When an apartment becomes available in the Twin Cities, who gets to move in? And perhaps more importantly, who doesn’t?
To answer those questions, we partnered with Family Housing Fund to publish a new report examining the methods and systems used by landlords to screen and select tenants. We found that the current methods and systems used are often unpredictable and can result in disparate treatment, the consequences of which extend beyond prospective tenants and their families to communities and society as a whole.
HJC files an amicus brief supporting Minnesota’s eviction moratorium
This past December, Minnesota’s statewide eviction moratorium became the target of a preliminary injunction motion. Two Twin Cities property owners, Heights Apartments and Walnut Trails, filed their suit in September, seeking to invalidate Governor Walz’ Executive Order No. 20-79 for several alleged violations of their constitutional rights.
HJC assists in Emergency Rental Assistance application process during pandemic
CHAP was launched in August and stopped formally accepting applications on December 7th, 2020. Toward the end of this window, Housing Justice Center was able to assist renters and homeowners statewide as they navigated the CHAP application process. The individual application assistance was led by Shana Tomenes, Housing Justice Center’s Equal Justice Works Fellow sponsored by Target Corporation, and supported by pro-bono volunteers, also from Target Corporation.
Pushed out in the name of progress: Redevelopment in Rochester’s Destination Medical Zone displaces tenants
Rochester’s Destination Medical Zone (DMZ) has been hailed as a groundbreaking public-private partnership to redevelop downtown Rochester and solidify the Mayo Clinic’s position as a world leader in healthcare. Extensive development is now picking up its pace,...
HJC in the News
4/29/22 — CBS Minnesota
St. Paul rent control ordinance kicks in Sunday, capping increases at 3%
4/25/22 — MinnPost
3/1/22 — Star Tribune
Brooklyn Center tenants sue landlord over expired license, discriminatory practices
2/28/22 — CCX Media
Brooklyn Park nonprofit makes plea for emergency rental assistance
2/23/22 — MyVillager
Rent control ordinance’s 3% cap will work best without any exemptions
1/28/22 — CBS Minnesota
11/26/21 — Star Tribune
Rent escrow requirement prevents tenants from challenging poor living conditions, lawyers say
11/17/21 — Minnesota Reformer
St. Paul rent control advocates push back on ‘disaster narratives’ as developers rethink projects
9/14/21 — Star Tribune
State owns failure to get aid to renters
7/20/21 — Star Tribune
Renting can be tough for reformed gang members
5/25/21 — MPR News
Tenants worry and landlords fume over eviction ban
4/29/21 — Minnesota Reformer
Where is the rental assistance?
4/5/21 — CapRadio
Nixing single-family zoning: will it make housing more affordable?
3/31/21 — Minnesota Spokesman Recorder
Wilder Foundation charged with selling out its mission
3/30/21 — Minnesota Reformer
St. Paul residents launch rent stabilization campaign to cap increases at 3%
3/30/21 — KARE 11
St. Paul group aims to put rent control on ballot
12/8/20 — Star Tribune
Landlords go to court to fight Gov. Walz’s eviction moratorium
5/12/20 — Star Tribune
Minnesota legal advocates race to prepare for eviction court in COVID-19 world
2/23/20 — Pioneer Press
Karen teen outreach leads to neighborhood complaint against St. Paul landlord