HOME Line’s main program is a free and confidential legal hotline for renters that has advised over 277,000 households since opening 30 years ago. Each month, in particular since the pandemic began, we’ve been taking around 1,500 calls per month. In January alone we had over a 50% increase in clients as compared to January 2021, and we continue to see a similarly increased pace in calls and emails from renters throughout Minnesota.
Many of these inquiries are about financial assistance, evictions, or extrajudicial displacement that is occurring at an increasing rate since RentHelpMN’s application deadline on January 28th. It is clear that there is still a strong need for emergency rental assistance as the pandemic continues to negatively impact many in our communities.
We wanted to share some of the stories we are hearing directly from clients our staff spoke to recently. They gave us permission to share their experiences to help provide context for the extreme urgency to pass legislation (HF 3667) as soon as possible, to provide further rent relief and protection against eviction for nonpayment of rent during a time where many of our neighbors are still facing economic uncertainty and trauma.
Story #1
“Rental assistance would help me to catch up with my bills and have a place to shelter from COVID-19 and help me stay in good health. Once I have something that can help me pay my rent, then psychologically, I will feel settled. When I caught COVID, it was very serious, and I’ve had long-COVID symptoms for the past 4 months. I took leave from my job to take care of myself but have had no income. Once the doctor says it’s okay to go back I’ll be able to tolerate work. At that time my income would stabilize. I am just looking for temporary help. Rental assistance is important to people who are not able to support themselves. I have 4 children who depend on stable housing. Unfortunately, RentHelpMN is closed, and I don’t know what to do.
I’m trying to find other rental assistance programs but haven’t had any success. If I can’t get help with my rent my family and I will be homeless.”
Story #2
“I used to have a full-time job that I loved. But when COVID-19 hit, they laid me off. I was able to access unemployment, but it wasn’t as much as I was making before, so I had trouble keeping up with my bills. Access to RentHelpMN assistance helped me keep my housing, which I was so scared to lose. If I had to move I’d probably have gone back to my mom’s house but that isn’t a safe environment for me. I also have PTSD and depression and depend on a support animal, which I may lose if I move. I don’t know what I’d do in that situation. I’ve lived in my home for 4 or 5 years which is the longest I’ve lived anywhere in my life. It’s been important to me to have stable housing. Since the pandemic I’ve only been able to find part-time work. My old job was a few blocks away, but the new job has a commute, so I had to get a car. I have chronic pain so I’m limited on what jobs I can do. I’ve been applying to everything I find but there are a lot of jobs I can’t get. My landlord just raised the rent, and I don’t have a plan for the spring. I’d like to stay but I’m very nervous and scared about what will happen if I can’t make rent.”
Story #3
“In August of 2021, my roommate moved out before the end of our lease, and I was stuck having to make up the difference in rent. I own a small business which was affected by the pandemic and was getting behind on bills. Luckily, my application to RentHelpMN was approved, and it helped me stay in my home. Unfortunately, when I re-signed my lease, my landlord raised the rent from $2,200 to $3,100—a $900 increase! The only way I’ve been able to keep up has been monthly assistance from RentHelpMN. I don’t have local family support so I need all the help I can get. My business is starting to return to pre-pandemic levels. Once that happens, I hope to move. But for the next couple months I’m still dependent on assistance. Unfortunately, I was notified that RentHelpMN was closing two days before the deadline, and now I don’t know where I’ll get rent from this spring. My stress is causing my blood pressure to go off the charts. I’m stuck in a hard place because I don’t want to risk an eviction on my record.”
Story #4
“I was working all the way until the pandemic started in 2020. I always worked and paid my rent on time. I was still able to go to work when the pandemic started but since the schools closed I had to stop working so I could be at home with the kids. That caused me to get behind on rent. I recently went back to work, but then my son got COVID and brought it home to the entire family. My supervisor at work got COVID too, so now I’m way behind on starting the new job. If I could access RentHelpMN it would be a big blessing. I could start from a zero balance and get control of things again. When I first applied, they helped me out but didn’t pay my entire balance so now I’m still behind with nowhere to go. Getting caught up would mean a lot. We would be able to maintain a good relationship with the landlord and stay safe from the possibility of an eviction. Things are looking up, we’re getting vaccinated, we’re back in school, and we just want to get back to normal. I wouldn’t be behind if I hadn’t been prevented from working by something totally out of my control.”
Story #5
“In November I was sick with COVID before I got vaccinated. I was on my deathbed and couldn’t breathe. I lost my job. RentHelpMN helped my family so we had somewhere to go. Previously we were homeless and it was hard during COVID, but RentHelpMN got us back on our feet. RentHelpMN is a major part of our stability and is protecting us from eviction. I don’t think they should close down. RentHelpMN should stay open at least until we all have the chance to fully recover. We’re not out of this yet and we’re still playing catch up.”
Story #6
“I moved to Minnesota for graduate school, and I ended up working in retail. Due to COVID-19, our working hours were contained a lot, and as a result my income suffered. I was not able to work as much as I could pre-pandemic. And so I needed help and applied for RentHelpMN. It was a big support to get that rental assistance because it took a lot of stress off of me. I don’t know anyone in the state, I have no family here and the pandemic really had an effect on my ability to earn a wage. So I was trying to reapply before I learned that they were closing the program. It was a shock for me when I heard the announcement because the effect of the pandemic on my income had not resolved and currently I am still looking for other opportunities for rental assistance.”
Story #7
“I was struggling when I first applied for RentHelpMN. When my first application was approved, it really helped. It let me keep my housing and gave my kids a place to lay their heads. I got COVID twice and my kids did too. We got COVID at work so even after I recovered I’ve been staying home to keep safe and protect my kids. They are two and one years old. I’m still waiting for my second application to get approved – we just don’t want to get evicted.”
If you have a story you’d like to share with elected officials about the need for more emergency rental assistance, contact HOME Line’s Public Policy Director, Michael Dahl, at michaeld@homelinemn.org.