During the COVID-19 pandemic, Minnesota put into place an eviction moratorium. It allowed those who lost their jobs or were unable to work during the pandemic to allow tenants to keep a roof over their head.
There was also money available to renters and landlords to help make those ends meet. Last year, lawmakers in the state built in what was called an “off ramp” that gave both protection to renters, and a clear timeline to landlords for landlords to secure rental assistance.
Under that agreement, renters with outstanding rental assistance claims cannot be evicted. Landlords must also provide renters 15 days’ notice before they are evicted.
Those protections were in place until June 1, 2022 when those protections were phased out.
Now, with the eviction moratorium ended, the number of those in need of shelter has increased significantly.
“It is heartbreaking and it is motivating,” says People Serving People CEO Rinal Ray.
She says Hennepin County tracks the number of people living in shelters regularly, and on a recent count found that nearly 400 children and 200 adults were staying there.
“And at the same time, we're seeing an increase in the cost of living, an increase related to inflation, around rental inflation, around the cost of gas, and around food,” explains Ray.
Ray says there is a huge backlog of evictions and they're doing all they can to prepare for more people who will need shelter and meals.
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