Minneapolis Cited in Newsweek Article on Eviction Crisis

Though Las Vegas was cited as “leading the pack” in mounting U.S. evictions since the pandemic began, Minneapolis was also cited in a recent Newsweek Magazine article. Along with Austin, Minneapolis has seen a five-fold increase in eviction filings between 2021 and 2022.

To help shine a light on the nationwide eviction crisis, Newsweek spoke to Mary Kaczorek, managing attorney of the housing unit at Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid (MMLA), along with other legal aid organizations across the country.

”I keep thinking each month is going to be lower, but the last couple of months are actually higher," Kaczorek said.

With eviction protections dwindling and ending, and filings rising dramatically across the country, tenants’ rights groups are urging government officials to respond with new and increased rental assistance programs. A housing affordability crisis, inseparable from rising evictions, is also adding to the situation, which existed before the pandemic and has only exacerbated it.

The Star Tribune also published an article this month about the increase in public housing evictions in Minneapolis and Saint Paul, with some filings for falling behind on as little as $100 or less in rent.

”The stakes are so high in these cases because it takes years and years to get into public housing, and once you're evicted from there, there's really nowhere else to go," Kaczorek explained.

The Star Tribune also spoke with Heather Mendiola, staff attorney with Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services (SMRLS), about public housing tenants facing multiple financial obstacles all at once.

"Unfortunately, low-wage jobs aren't always flexible with paid time off. We see public housing tenants hit hard with unplanned catastrophic events, like hospitalizations and funerals, who are in the forced position to use the rent money to cover these unexpected expenses,” Mendiola said.

Read Las Vegas Tops Nation as Eviction Crisis Spreads Across America in Newsweek and Minneapolis, St. Paul public housing evictions outpacing pre-pandemic rates in the Star Tribune.