Caitlin Lauer, Public Policy Intern and Macalester College Junior
A meeting between HOME Line representatives and members of various neighborhood coalitions on May 20th gave many renters a place to voice their concerns over housing conditions in the Duluth area. Representing a diverse array of neighborhoods, as well as problems with their housing, it soon became clear that these renters had one major thing in common: the courage to speak out. The attendees of this meeting talked about many problems in their buildings such as poor heating, a lack of building maintenance, and even an errant mole, but the problem that was brought up the most was the intimidation that tenants felt whenever they complained about these problems to their landlords.
Many of these renters talked of how their neighbors were afraid to speak out because of the possibility of being threatened with eviction and their inability to move elsewhere. Even in the face of intimidation, the meeting attendees had gone door knocking in their communities to get tenants to sign petitions. Some meeting attendees had even sought the help of lawyers from Legal Aide to protect their rights as renters. These tenants still needed help though. After speaking for an hour, the tenants gave the floor over to HOME Line Policy Director Michael Dahl.
Mr. Dahl spoke of the recent legislative victory with the passage of seven amendments in the HOME Line Tenant Bill of Rights. He explained how this change in Minnesota legislation would affect tenants in Duluth, then offered resources such as the HOME Line Tenant Hotline to help the tenants learn more about and assert their renter’s rights. During the question and answer session, Mr. Dahl acknowledged that the best way to seek help was probably to ask a lawyer; whether through the free HOME Line Tenant Hotline (866-866-3546) or some other means.
