At the Minneapolis City Council Committee of the Whole on April 21, concerns were raised about “cherry-picked” eviction data during a discussion involving HOME Line’s Q1 2026 update. That concern deserves a response, but more importantly, it calls for a shift in what we are focusing on.
That discussion revealed to us that the purpose and meaning of eviction data is not fully understood—or, at minimum, not being treated with the seriousness it demands.
At HOME Line, we spend every day talking with renters across Minnesota who are facing the possibility of eviction. These are people trying to make sense of an eviction defense letter we sent before they even knew a case had been filed against them. They are renters scraping together every dollar they can find by working extra shifts, borrowing from family, delaying other bills; and still coming up short because of the realities of low wages, rising costs, and unexpected crises. They are people calling us in absolute panic at the possibility of losing their home, asking what happens next. They are households who have already called every rental assistance program and mutual aid network they can think of, sometimes even reaching out to us for financial help we cannot provide, because they are out of options and trying to hold on.
From that vantage point, the question of how eviction data is framed can feel far removed from the reality renters are living through. An eviction filing signals instability, stress, and often the beginning of a cascade of consequences that extend well beyond housing.
It is difficult to reconcile that reality with a public conversation that treats these filings primarily as numbers to be debated. When filings rise from 15,000 to more than 25,000 in just a few years it reflects ten thousand more households pushed to the edge of losing their homes. That scale of harm should be impossible to look past.
This is why conversations about eviction data need to stay grounded in purpose. The goal is not to identify or defend a “normal” rate of filings, but to reduce the number of households reaching that point at all. When we talk about trends, comparisons, or methodology, those tools should help us better understand how to prevent displacement, not distract from the urgency of doing so.
Additionally, HOME Line has shared relevant data regarding inquiries to our free & confidential tenant hotline, which appears to have been lost amongst the discussion about eviction filings.
Although we are a law firm and do not provide financial aid, we have seen significant increases in renters contacting our hotline for that purpose—at higher rates than during the most economically turbulent moments of the COVID pandemic. In the first quarter of 2026 we fielded 575 financial aid inquiries. Meanwhile, the quarter when the pandemic-era program RentHelpMN closed (Q1 of 2022) was the closest to this with 415 financial aid inquiries.
From the start of the Surge (12/1/25) through 4/22/26, we’ve fielded a total of 864 financial aid inquiries. That total amongst just 143 days exceeds total financial aid inquiries to our hotline in both 2020 (159) and 2023 (737), and is quickly approaching the total number of inquiries in 2021 (954) and 2022 (1,221).
Eviction filings generally trail economic harm, so this data point on the need for financial aid is just as relevant, if not more so than eviction filings.
There are well-established ways to reduce eviction filings, particularly those driven by nonpayment. Access to low-barrier emergency rental assistance can help households stabilize before falling behind. Court diversion programs can resolve conflicts without formal filings. Tenant protections can create more balance in a system where many renters have limited leverage. These approaches are practical interventions that can and do keep people housed.
The scale of the issue makes this work even more urgent. In a Star Tribune op-ed our Co-Executive Director Eric Hauge wrote in 2020, 15,000 eviction filings a year were described as offering “no glimmer of positive news.” Last year, filings exceeded 25,000. The numbers have moved sharply in the wrong direction, even as the human consequences behind them remain as severe as ever.
Minneapolis has the opportunity, and responsibility, to respond in a way that reflects both the data and the lived experiences behind it. That starts with keeping the focus on renters themselves and on the policies and resources that can prevent displacement in the first place.
For the households reaching out to our hotline, the stakes are immediate and deeply personal. A filing is not just a number, it is a turning point. Our collective response should reflect that reality.
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