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With financial pressure from the COVID-19 pandemic mounting for many Minnesota families, the St. Paul City Council is considering new tenant protections. More than half of the city’s residents are renters.

Housing advocates say it’s more urgent than ever to pass these protections, while many landlords say it’s the worst time to make changes.

Shaquonna Jackson, who has rented homes in Minnesota’s capital city for 12 years, said St. Paul needs its own set of tenant protections separate from state laws. 

“I had mice, I had mold, the water wasn’t working sometimes the water would just shut off without notice,” she said.

As Black woman, and Section 8 voucher holder with a prior eviction, she feels she’s often discriminated against when looking for somewhere affordable to live.

Jackson said that she was evicted even though she paid rent on time, and that she was pushed out for asking for improvements to her place.

The proposed St. Paul ordinance includes a security deposit limit to one month’s rent, uniform screening criteria related to rental, criminal and credit history, and a just cause notice, which would require landlords to give a reason to not renew or terminate a lease. Those criteria would be set by the city.

Jackson said these protections will be especially needed during a pandemic. 

“With COVID going on, and the changes in the economy, to even not be able to find a place with a voucher, so figure how people are who don’t even have a voucher and are living paycheck to paycheck,” she said. 

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The economic fallout, including high unemployment rates from COVID-19, is expected to fall heaviest on communities of color. In St. Paul, 83 percent of Black households rent. The Minnesota Housing Partnership also reports 41 percent of white households do not own their city homes. 

Graphic: Most Black residents in St. Paul are renters, have less money for housing than other races

Cecil Smith, president and CEO of the Minnesota Multi Housing Association, said he believes if landlords have to take on residents with what he called “riskier outlooks” based on their histories, the supply of affordable housing will suffer.

“Whether it is fixing a unit that was damaged, to absorb the lost rent and evictions costs that occur when it doesn’t work out, the property has to bear those costs,” Smith said. “Those costs ultimately will get shared across the other renters.”

Smith, who represents landlords, said council members should take a year to see what happens after a similar tenant protections ordinance in Minneapolis took effect June 1. He said the current St. Paul proposal favors tenants more than the Minneapolis rules, potentially hurting landlords in a recession.

“The fact that we are trying to do this during a pandemic with restrictions on meetings and lobbying and protesting at City Hall is troublesome,” he said.

State housing help likely on the way as part of pandemic response

More middle-income renters burdened by housing costs

Most of the seven St. Paul City Council members say they support the “Safe Housing” tenant protections ordinance. A vote is expected next week.

Tram Hoang, a policy advocate at The Alliance, where she examines how housing policies affect communities of color, said she worries the original proposed tenant protections ordinance will be watered down to favor landlords during the aftermath of the pandemic. She said safe housing is a basic human right.

”You know tenant protections don’t cost money, they are policies that landlords follow and most of them follow it already, this is a really targeted policy to make sure landlords who aren’t following best practices do,” Hoang said.

If the St. Paul council approved the tenant protections, they would take effect in March to give landlords time to adjust. Jackson, the St. Paul resident, is disappointed the protections wouldn’t kick in sooner.

“I just want somewhere to raise my family, somewhere that’s safe and clean,” Jackson said.

Majority of residents of color in St. Paul are renters

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With financial pressure from the COVID-19 pandemic mounting for many Minnesota families, the St. Paul City Council is considering new tenant protections. 

St. Paul council leans toward approving tenant protections this summer

A woman stands in front of a group of people

Nina Moini | MPR News file

Shaquonna Jackson and her three sons earlier this year. 

St. Paul council leans toward approving tenant protections this summer

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