- Introduction
Defend Glendale and Public Housing Coalition (DG&PHC) recently received a leaked draft copy of Elliot Twins’s RAD Eviction Plan (http://tinyurl.com/MPHA-Eviction-Plan) that MPHA calls “Elliot Twins’s (Project Site) Resident Relocation Plan” for the planned Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) privatization and conversion. This plan that recently leaked will transfer ownership of the Elliot Twins apartments from the public to the hands of private developers. To call this a relocation plan is absurd. This is not a plan. It is a plot to evict residents and place them in the streets. MPHA did not share this document with residents of Elliot Twins. But they shared it with their consultants and their resident council that is controlled by MPHA and does not speak for the Elliot Twins residents. Elliot residents have already stated that the resident council does not speak for them. It is illegal for MPHA to control the Resident Council in this way. For more information on this see this complaint by Elliot residents on the bottom of page one: (http://tinyurl.com/Elliot-Twins-Resident-Letter). This letter was sent to HUD in August 2018 and is still being ignored by HUD and MPHA.
In this eviction plan for the RAD conversion, MPHA outlines clearly step by step how they will evict the vulnerable, disabled and seniors/elderly residents of Elliot Twins. In this report, we will unpack these steps that will lead residents to homelessness. We want to emphasize that Defend Glendale & Public Housing Coalition is simply sharing and explaining MPHA’s own words here.
II. MPHA’s Contradictions
- MPHA lies on this video
Before we unpack MPHA’s steps to eviction, we want to mention that Mary Boler, one of the directors of MPHA, lies to residents in this video and says residents will not have to move out of Elliot Twins during the RAD conversion and that residents will be moved within the two buildings. This video was taken on August 8th, 2018 during one of MPHA’s illegitimate resident information meetings on RAD at Elliot Twins, https://tinyurl.com/MPHA-s-illegitimate-RAD-mtgs. Mary Boler also continues to lie in this video and says RAD will take place two years from 2018. But according to MPHA’s draft copy of Elliot Twins’s RAD Eviction Plan which MPHA calls “Elliot Twins’s (Project Site) Resident Relocation Plan,” residents will be moved out with no guarantee to come back to Elliot Twins. In addition, Mary Boler lies to residents knowing residents will face evictions soon because MPHA already started RAD’s eviction plans in less than a year as explained below.
- Inconsistent timeline for evictions
On page 2 of the plan, first, MPHA left out how much this plan will cost which means MPHA does not have a financial plan to fund the RAD privatization of Elliot Twins. Second, MPHA does not state how long it will take for each building to be converted to RAD. But yet, MPHA wants to evict seniors/elders and residents with disabilities as soon as possible. Previously, MPHA has shared its timeline for eviction with the Resident Council only, which leaked. This is a council that no one at the Elliots respects or recognizes because it is a tool of MPHA and it not democratic. As of now, just like this eviction plan, MPHA failed to notify the entire population of Elliot Twins about the timeline and the eviction plan. Just to be clear the timeline and eviction plan are two different documents that leaked and contradict each other. MPHA has not notified anyone about these documents except the few handpicked resident council members they are working with to push this plan. According to MPHA’s timeline (http://tinyurl.com/Eviction-Timeline), the 90-day eviction notices will start in November 2019 which means residents have until January of 2020 to move out. This again contradicts Mary Boler’s statement says the planning will start two years from 2018. But in their eviction plan, MPHA does not provide a timeline for eviction. They leave it blank. What are they doing?
C. No financial plan
MPHA has written an eviction plan before meeting the RAD conditions laid out in the CHAP Letter (http://tinyurl.com/CHAP-Letter). This is a conditional approval letter by HUD for MPHA to proceed with the planning for RAD if they meet certain conditions. This application can be canceled if certain conditions are not met. One of these conditions states that MPHA must submit a financial plan to HUD within 180 days (p. 95:https://www.hud.gov/sites/dfiles/Housing/documents/RAD_Notice_Rev3_Amended_by_RSN_7-2018.pdf). MPHA has until July 31st, 2019 to submit the financial plan including the developers that will get the tax credits who will privatize and take over Elliot Twins for free. MPHA is moving forward with evictions, or as they call it their “relocation plan,” before they even know if their conversion is financially feasible. The public has been requesting financial plans from MPHA through the Minnesota Data Practices Act requests. As of now, MPHA has failed to provide this document to the public. Either MPHA is hiding this financial plan, which is illegal because it is public data, or they do not have a plan, and they want to evict residents as soon as possible to empty the buildings then put together the financial plan which will be majority public funding such as tax credits, “affordable housing funds” to developers/investors who will take over the buildings. MPHA knows these funds are very competitive so they would rather empty the buildings now and lobby for funds while there are thousands of severely low-income residents, many in shelters waiting for public housing, and the waitlist is between 5 to 7 years. The system is failing us, and neither the City, HUD nor MPHA are being held accountable.
III. MPHA’s Steps to Eviction Options:
- Accommodation: “No guarantee, maximum extent feasible”
On page 2 MPHA states that MPHA “recognize that some residents may wish to move to another MPHA property during the construction period and MPHA will “work to accommodate those requests to the maximum extent feasible.” This means MPHA does not have places for people to go. “Maximum extent feasible” means they will do their best, but they can’t make any promises and there is no guarantee for the right to return. In the next line, MPHA says that residents are “guaranteed the option to return to Elliot Twins.” Why, if residents are supposedly guaranteed the right to return has it suddenly become “optional” in their plan? A guarantee is a legal promise, an option is a choice. In 2017 and 2018, when MPHA was marketing RAD, they always used the term “Guaranteed Right to Return” and now they using words such as “optional” and “maximum extent feasible,” which means no real promises.
B. Pages 6-12 MPHA outlines eviction steps aka “options”
On pages 6 to 12 MPHA states, each resident will need to move “at least once.” It is a massive strain for elders and people with disabilities to move once, and MPHA is saying they may have to do this multiple times with no guarantee to return to their building.
According to MPHA, each resident will have to select one of seven eviction options that MPHA incorrectly calls “relocation options.” We will explain why these evictions will lead to homelessness and not relocation.
1. Option 1 on page 7: MPHA says that residents will temporarily relocate to a “hotel unit” within Elliot Twins during construction.
- Temporarily relocating to a “hotel unit” onsite requires that there be available units.
- There are not enough units within the two buildings at Elliot Twins at 1225 South 8 Street and 1212 S. 9th Street, to move everyone into “hotel units” all at once because according to the timeline residents all have to move out in 90 days from November 2019 to January 2020. MPHA continues to say “residents may have to move to a smaller unit in this scenario.” They can store things off-site with MPHA but “will not have access to these things during the duration of construction.”
- If MPHA had enough units within Elliot Twins to move people into during RAD privatization and renovation, they wouldn’t have to provide 6 more eviction options. MPHA does not have enough units to move people to within the two buildings. MPHA is misleading people by saying they can stay in the Elliot Twins when really residents will be evicted through these six eviction options by January of 2020.
- According to MPHA’s timeline (http://tinyurl.com/Eviction-Timeline) all 87 units in 1225 Elliot will receive an eviction notice at the same time. How will there be enough units for residents to move into when they are all “relocating” at the same time? This “option” is a blatant lie. MPHA will simply say to residents that there are no units available for this option and residents will be forced to choose one of the other eviction options.
2. Option 2 on page 7: “Temporarily relocate to a friend or family’s home during construction.”
- After MPHA tells residents that there are not enough “hotel units,” residents will be told to move in with friends or family. Having no choice but to live at a friend or family’s house is homelessness. Point blank. This is direct evidence that RAD causes homelessness.
- To call moving in with a friend or family a relocation option is offensive. Many residents will not have this option. Many may not have family or friends nearby and for those who do, this will be homelessness and pushes the costs of evictions onto severely low- income resident and their friends and/or family. Furthermore, MPHA states that if residents need to store their items (a reasonable expectation in this scenario), they will not be able to access them until after construction is complete.
3. Option 3 on pages 7 to 8: MPHA says, residents will permanently relocate to a fully renovated unit at Elliot Twins Project Site.
- MPHA is claiming that residents will have an option to move straight from their apartment to a fully renovated RAD unit and will never move out of Elliot Twins or go to a temporary “hotel unit” within the building.
- Based on MPHA’s RAD timeline every resident will receive a 90-day notice in November and then construction will begin when they have all moved out. So how will residents move into a renovated unit starting November 2019 when they are planning to evict residents that same month?
- MPHA says they will “seek to accommodate residents with this preference to the maximum extent feasible.” This means there is no guarantee that this option is even possible.
- This option is predicated on there being fully renovated units available for the resident to move into. Due to construction timing and other residents moving back in this option seems false and may only be possible if other residents are permanently evicted.
- This sounds like MPHA will hand select a few residents for this option who will remain in Elliot Twins during construction and move into a renovated RAD unit when construction is completed. The residents who do not get this option will not come back. This is a cover for MPHA so they can say later they kept some low-income residents after they evict the rest. Also, they may be making deals with few residents handpicked from the Elliot Twins Resident Council so they push MPHA’s plans in exchange for saving them for evictions.
4. Option 4 on page 8: MPHA says “residents will temporarily relocate to another MPHA project during construction, and return to Elliot Twins Project Site after construction is complete.”
- Here MPHA themselves admit that this option may not be available for residents where they state: “Since the MPHA cannot be sure of the location of available off-site units, it cannot guarantee that all households interested in moving to another MPHA property can be accommodated.” This means that MPHA can’t guarantee other units/apartments to relocate residents in other public housing buildings which puts residents at risk of being homeless. Again, another example of how RAD causes homelessness.
- Here MPHA says, “prior to making preference choices, the MPHA shall inform tenants of, among other things, any plan it has for relocating tenants at other properties pursuant to its (RAD) Rental Assistance Demonstration and /or disposition applications.” This means residents who move to another MPHA building will be evicted again from that building due to further RAD conversions. Therefore in addition to Elliot Twins, MPHA plans to evict more residents, and privatize more public housing buildings through RAD which leads to more homelessness.
- MPHA also says, “The household will need to complete MPHA transfer application. The MPHA will not re-screen applications for transfer. MPHA may only deny an application for transfer (a) if they do not meet the eligibility requirements for the programs that apply to that site (exclusive of the resident selection criteria). And (b) where there is a pending eviction for a serious or repeated violation of a material term of the lease that has not been resolved by an agreement”.
The only guarantee MPHA is providing here is that residents cannot be denied an application due to resident selection criteria. However, they can be denied due to eligibility requirements which include having a social security card and having eligible citizen or eligible non-citizen status. This puts any residents with tentative immigration status at risk. Residents have no legal support to make sure their rights are being protected, and that they are not being discriminated against during this process. MPHA is a rogue agency that has no oversight from the City or HUD. MPHA will use “eligibility requirements” to discriminate against certain residents and deny their applications as they wish. There are no protections for residents. This is why we need a congressional investigation on the ways PHA’s are using RAD to evict and abuse residents.
5. Option 5 on page 9: “Permanently relocate to another MPHA project during construction.”
- MPHA says: “Some households may choose to permanently relocate off-sight to another MPHA property. To the greatest extent feasible, MPHA will make units available at other MPHA buildings for permanent relocation. Prior to making preference choices, the MPHA shall inform tenants of, among other things, any plan it has for relocating tenants at other properties pursuant to its (RAD) Rental Assistance Demonstration and/or Disposition applications.”
- This means that MPHA cannot guarantee that residents who want to move permanently to another public housing buildings will find a unit in that building. In addition, if residents are lucky enough to find a spot (since the waitlist is 5 to 7 years) then they will be evicted again when MPHA privatizes the rest of its public housing buildings through RAD. Again, MPHA is saying that residents will be facing homelessness and will be evicted several times due to RAD.
6. Option 6 on pages 9 to 10: MPHA says residents may “temporarily relocate off-site using a MPHA-issued federal housing choice “mobile” voucher or project-based (“in place”) Section 8 voucher during construction, with the option of returning to Project Site after the construction is complete.” (The “Project Site” is Elliot Twins.) At the bottom of page 9 MPHA says: “To the greatest extent feasible, MPHA will assist households in identifying such units.” MPHA goes on to say on page 10: “Immediately upon the signing of this Agreement, MPHA will outreach to prospective landlords including non-profits and those who own or manage buildings near Elliot Twins, and then promptly make this information available to those Project Site residents seeking to relocate with MPHA _____ vouchers or to project-based Section 8 apartments.”
- Before we dig deeper into this statement, let’s explain what Section 8 is and the difference between “Mobile Vouchers,” aka Section 8 Vouchers, and Project-Based Section 8. Section 8 is the common name for the federal Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program. Section 8 voucher holders are (supposedly) able to rent-subsidized units outside of traditional public housing buildings in the private market. The local Public Housing Authority uses the voucher to pay the landlord a set, subsidized amount, and the voucher holder is then responsible for any payment to the landlord required to meet their rent. (https://www.hud.gov/topics/housing_choice_voucher_program_section_8).
- There are two types of vouchers under Section 8, the Mobile or Tenant-Based Vouchers aka Section 8 Vouchers and Project-Based vouchers (PBVs).
- Section 8 Vouchers (“mobile” vouchers) are given to the tenant and “follow the tenant” if they qualify under income guidelines. Meaning a Section 8 Voucher holder has to look for landlords that will accept Section 8 Vouchers and rent to them in the private market.
- A Project-Based Voucher is attached to the building and it stays with the unit or the building. Project-Based Section 8 properties are owned by non-profit corporations or developers/investors that receive millions in tax credits and affordable housing funds subsidized by HUD, the IRS, the State and/or the City. Such developers include AEON, CommonBond, Sherman Associates, Project for Pride in Living and Theis & Tall Inc., which is owned by MPHA Executive Director Greg Russ’s father-in-law, Kenneth Talle. There are more of these companies all throughout the Twin Cities and the State. https://www.dgphc.org/2018/08/31/a-letter-from-a-concerned-and-mpha-resident-to-the-star-tribune-regarding-greg-russ-blatant-conflict-of-interest/
- Section 8 Vouchers (“Mobile” Tenant-Based Vouchers) do not work. Here’s why:
- It is virtually impossible for a voucher holder to find a landlord willing to accept a Section 8 Voucher in Minneapolis. White landlords widely discriminate against Black and Brown voucher holders. MPHA knows this as they manage the Section 8 program. In a widely publicized event in 2018, the City of Minneapolis tried to pass an ordinance barring landlords from discriminating against Section 8 recipients, but landlords challenged the ordinance in court and the judge ruled in favor of the landlords only a month later. Read more about that here: http://www.startribune.com/judge-strikes-down-minneapolis-section-8-anti-discrimination-law/484998931/
- Private landlords are especially not renting to low-income seniors in the Elliot Park neighborhood, where Elliot Twins is located. Elliot Park is a part of downtown Minneapolis that is being heavily gentrified due to its central location and proximity to the new billion-dollar U.S. Bank/Vikings Stadium and HCMC Hospital.
- Elderly and disabled residents are the majority on fixed social security income of $750 a month, and they pay $225 a month for rent at Elliot Twins. They will have difficulty finding housing at that rate with the appropriate accommodations and accessibility for them, due to a lack of availability and the high rents.
- Due to rampant Section 8 discrimination and lack of availability, residents will not be able to find a unit that accepts Section 8 in their Elliot Park neighborhood or anywhere in Minneapolis. This means they will be displaced far out into the suburbs – away from their family, friends, jobs, health care, and public transit. This will be especially hard on the many Elliot Twins residents who are elderly, disabled, and who do not speak English.
- Even in the unlikely scenario that a resident is lucky enough to find a landlord who rents to voucher holders in Elliot Park, they will still be vulnerable to the whims of the landlord, who may choose to change the lease requirements or raise the rent. Section 8 Voucher holders do not have the same rights as public housing residents.
- Section 8 housing is far less stable than public housing. Voucher holders often have to move every few years with short notices when landlords decide to flip their properties. The landlord can also evict residents for minor issues or create cases against vulnerable residents. This common behavior by private landlords causes residents to become homeless and forces them into shelters. For an example of the ways Section 8 Vouchers lead to homelessness see Section 8 Voucher holder Sarhooni’s story here: https://www.dgphc.org/2018/07/26/sahroonis-story-about-the-section-8-system/
- If a resident does not find a unit within 3 months their voucher expires. Usually, this means an individual will return to the beginning of the long Section 8 waitlist. The average waitlist for Project-Based Section 8 properties owned by private developers and corporations is 5 years. Residents face homelessness as they wait for a Section 8 unit to open up.
- Project-Based Vouchers are no better than “Mobile” or Tenant-Based Vouchers. MPHA’s HCV program waitlist is closed, and the last time it was opened was over ten years ago in June 2008 (https://mphaonline.org/section-8/applicants/). If the waitlist is closed, does that mean there are no PBV units available? If so, where are Elliot Twins residents supposed to go after being evicted?
- Now that we have explained what Section 8 Vouchers are, we can summarize why MPHA’s Option 6 will lead to homelessness and not an acceptable option:
- By relying on Section 8 Tenant-Based or Project-Based Vouchers, MPHA is relying on a program that does not work. Private landlords discriminate against voucher holders and against people of color and the elderly. Section 8 housing is unstable. Both types of voucher holders face long waitlists, which will lead to homelessness.
- MPHA is not guaranteeing that they will help residents find Section 8 housing. They are only promising to help “to the extent feasible,” which is meaningless. An “option” that cannot be guaranteed is not a real option.
- MPHA is also not guaranteeing that residents will be able to relocate within their Elliot Park neighborhood, because they know that is virtually impossible. Residents will be displaced far away from their homes and communities.
- MPHA is asking residents to sign an agreement to be evicted without having any housing lined up for them. This is dangerous and irresponsible and will result in some residents becoming homeless.
- MPHA is asking elderly and disabled residents to move out of their homes in the middle of winter with nowhere to go.
- Here is the video again where Mary Boler MPHA official lies to residents verbally guaranteeing residents will not have to move out of Elliot Twins during the RAD conversion. But now, MPHA is stating residents will have to move out and in Section 8 Project-Based apartments that an average of a 5-year waitlist.
7. Option 7: “Permanently relocate using a MPHA-issued federal housing choice “mobile” voucher or project-based “in place” Section 8 voucher during construction, and remain within that program after Project Site’s construction is complete.”
- This option will not work for the same reasons as Option 6, and also, in this case, requires residents to permanently move away from Elliot Twins. It is therefore not an option for residents who do not want to leave their home and their tight-knit community.
- The top of page 12 also acknowledges that if residents are relocated using Section 8 vouchers they may have to pay utilities at their new site, which is effectively a rent increase for residents.
C. Pages 12-24 MPHA’s misleading tactics and misinformation continues
Page 12: MPHA states that residents will be “solely responsible for paying any tenant-supplied utilities that may be required by a landlord of a Section 8 apartment or the Section-8 lease terms.” This amounts to a rent increase. Majority of the residents at Elliot Twins are on Social Security income of $750 a month. They cannot afford additional expenses. They pay 30% of their income at $225 a month for rent at the Elliots including utilities. Private landlords will evict them for not being able to afford their Section 8 housing and forfeit their right to return to Elliot Twins when the utility bills add up and rents increase?
Page 12, MPHA states “ If during the Project Site construction period
( aka RAD conversion ) a tenant who selected Option 6 receives a notice of lease termination ( eviction notice) from a landlord of a Section 8 apartment, and provides MPHA with a copy of this notice, then MPHA shall assist the tenant with finding another suitable Section 8 apartment and shall also immediately place the tenant on the waitlist for MPHA public housing .”
What MPHA is really saying is that MPHA will first evict the resident from Elliot Twins due to RAD. If the evicted is lucky to find Section 8 apartment, and if that Section 8 landlord evicts the residents again mainly due to high rents and high utilities, then MPHA will help the evicted find a similar landlord that may evict the resident again for the same reasons. At the same time, MPHA will put the twice evicted resident on a wait list for public housing properties whose stock is shrinking due to more RAD conversions that currently has a waitlist of 7 years. While the resident (s) are being evicted and wait for 7 years to get public housing, what will happen to them? How will vulnerable seniors facing serious health issues deal with this crisis? They will be homeless, couch hopping if they have the strength, in a shelter if beds are available or on the street.
Congress needs to investigate how MPHA, Greg Russ and City of Minneapolis are using RAD to cause homelessness, danger and destroy the lives of Minneapolis public housing resident.
Page 16: MPHA says they will notify residents when they have identified a “Comparable Replacement Dwelling,” and that they will allow “at least 5 business days for the tenant to make a decision as to those apartment(s).” What is not clear is what happens if the resident does not accept MPHA’s Comparable Replacement Dwellings. If MPHA does not present the resident with an acceptable Comparable Replacement Dwelling, what happens then? Resident will face homelessness.
Page 17: 8.3 Moving Related Costs and Payment Costs- MPHA Moves
MPHA says, “However for moves more than 50 miles from Elliot Twins, MPHA will pay the amount listed on the Standard Mileage Rates (IRS) Schedule or, on a case by case basis, may approve more than the amount listed on the Schedule”. MPHA originally said no one would move out of the Elliot Twins, then that no one would move out of the neighborhood. Yet here, MPHA is making provisions for moves 50 miles away from the Elliot Twins. Why would MPHA need to make this provision if they are not planning to evict public housing residents out of the City? If Elders and residents with disabilities are forced 50 miles outside of the City it will be deadly. Many residents only know the neighborhood surrounding the Elliots, and many more rely on public transit, the hospital, and their social services that will not be accessible if they live far out in the suburbs or in other towns. This is more evidence that MPHA’s eviction plan is dangerous to the lives and wellbeing of residents.
Page 18: A. Rental Assistance: MPHA does not want to mention HUD has a cap on rent subsidies to pay private landlords in Project-Based Section 8 or Section 8 “ mobile Vouchers. MPHA purposely does not also mention that MPHA nor anyone else can stop landlords from increasing rents or utilities. According to HUD’s conditional RAD approval letter; https://tinyurl.com/MPHA-Hides-HUD-Elliot-Ltr, for a studio, HUD’s subsidy including the rent from the resident will be $577, and HUD will pay zero dollars for utility allowance for water, heat, electricity to the landlord. For one bedroom, HUD’s subsidy including the rent from the resident will be $715 for one bedroom, and HUD will pay zero dollars for utility allowance for water, heat, electricity to the landlord. A market rate studio rents on average for $1014 a month in Minneapolis, while an Elliot Twins resident can only afford to pay $225 for rent. The average market rate rent for a one bedroom is $1,300 in Minneapolis, https://tinyurl.com/MPHA-Hides-HUD-Elliot-Ltr.
This is clear evidence that RAD increase rents which leads to homelessness and dangerous conditions for the most vulnerable and the poorest people of Minneapolis.
Page 19: MPHA states that they currently plan to “operate RAD PBV apartments at the Elliot Twins Project Site with the same protections as currently in place for federal public housing…” But then they say, “Any future changes to the lease and/or these policies will be subject to a public notification and comment period.” As seen with the public notification and comment period for the RAD application at Elliot, this means that MPHA can change their policy towards Elliot Twins at will. They are only required to notify residents of changes, not to incorporate resident feedback in any meaningful way. Section 8 Vouchers and Project Based have no protection and private landlords have more rights than tenants. Public housing tenants have more rights, safety, protection, and stability.
Page 19. 9: MPHA says that MPHA’s wholly owned non- profit corporation shall operate the apartments as RAD Project-Based Vouchers. This is a lie because no one knows anything about this non-profit and MPHA will not release any records on this non-profit. Here is a chart from MPHA that shows that they are planning to transfer 99.99% of public ownership to private owners: https://tinyurl.com/MPHA-s-Pathways-to-Destruction. MPHA won’t own anything. MPHA will cease to exist as a public agency. MPHA’s ‘wholly” non-profit will own 0.01% of the public housing properties and 99.99% will be owned by private developers. This is clearly not public housing anymore.
Page 20. 9.2 MPHA states: Return from Off Sites Moves After Construction.
This is another MPHA lie. Residents will be out of the leases. MPHA will not be enforced to bring anyone back. MPHA will use “to the extent feasible” phrase in court if residents try to sue under fair housing. If residents sign this document, they are going to be homeless. As Ed Goetz, Center for Urban & Regional Affairs ( CURA), University of Minnesota stated 1 out of 5 residents may come back; https://shelterforce.org/2019/03/21/fearing-privatization-public-housing-activists-push-back-against-rad-plans. As DG&PHC stated no one will come back to Elliot Twins, and MPHA is lying. MPHA has not shared this document http://tinyurl.com/MPHA-Eviction-Plan with any of the residents as of now. It leaked. But their plan is for everyone to sign at the end of the document even though there is no translation for any languages. It is very clear this document will cause residents to lose their homes for good because residents are not signing a guaranteed right to return, but they are signing an eviction plan.
Page 21: MPHA explains that they will hold open houses for tenants to view renovated units. They then declare that “Each tenant shall notify the MPHA within three (3) business days of the date of the last open house that he/she (1) elects to return to Project Site (and any preference for units) or (2) does not elect to return to Project Site.” This is very important because if residents miss this 3-day window, they will not be able to move back to Elliot Twins. Also, residents may not have an address because they will be homeless or “ staying with friends who can’t have them on their leases. Three days is not a long time and a resident could easily miss that window especially the majority who do not speak English. It is also not clear how they have to notify MPHA or have MPHA will notify them. If they are lucky to notify MPHA that they want to return, MPHA will offer them a unit, but the relocation document states that “Each tenant offered a unit at Project Site shall notify the MPHA, within one (1) business days of receipt of the offer.” This means residents only have one day to decide if the replacement unit will work for them. It leaves no time process and documentation. This does not even happen in the private rental market. A tenant could easily miss this deadline and miss out on their chance to return to Elliot Twins. This section is just to create more barriers for the residents of Elliot Twins do not come back.
Page 23: MPHA states that until Project Site renovation is completed, MPHA conducts information meetings,,,,, to update residents. The MPHA shall also provide all project site tenants with newsletters or other written information containing any significant updates in the relocation or construction process.” The fact that this document was not distributed to all residents at Elliot already shows that this is a lie. And, again there MPHA contradicts. Residents will not have a permanent address to mail any notices. Residents will be couch-hopping or staying with families. MPHA is assuming here that they will relocate all of these residents to other public housing buildings as a guarantee and they will keep track of where they will move to. But this is a lie because MPHA stated they said to the extent feasible MPHA will help them find housing while there is major housing crisis and homelessness of Black and Brown people and low income in Minneapolis is an all-time high.
III. Conclusion:
MPHA is proceeding with its plan to privatize Elliot Twins through RAD despite the fact that residents never approved of RAD. The draft relocation plan is a plan to evict residents who do not want to – and in many cases are physically unable to – move out of their homes. MPHA is forcing tenants to move out and providing no legally enforceable guarantee that they will find suitable replacement housing, or that they will be able to return to Elliot Twins after renovations. MPHA is making these eviction plans without having an actual construction plan or financing lined up for renovations. Their priority is evicting tenants.
The seven eviction options MPHA is offering are all problematic and are pushing vulnerable residents into homelessness. They are not real options because they either rely on other public housing that is not available and may be subject to future privatization, rely on residents to find their own housing with family or friends which is unrealistic and places a burden on low-income households, or they rely on the deeply flawed Section 8 Voucher program which is unavailable in resident’s ’ community and which is unstable. In addition, these eviction plans are dense, confusing, and could result in residents losing their chance to return to their building based on a technicality, such as missing a three-day window to notify MPHA of their desire to return. MPHA’s continues use of the phrase “ to the extent feasible” is not a guaranteed right to return. In addition, Mary Boler MPHA’s official is lying to residents in the video. She is telling residents that they will not have to move out of Elliot Twins while RAD privatization is going, and clearly, MPHA not guaranteeing this in their plan.
We need a Congressional investigation into MPHA’s activities and lies surrounding RAD privatization of Elliot Twins and the risk that RAD is posing to residents’ ability to have safe and affordable housing. These plans will put hundreds of low-income, elderly and/or disabled residents at risk of homelessness in a city that is already experiencing a homelessness crisis. HUD is currently controlled by Donald Trump and Ben Carson, and we cannot rely on them to enforce resident protections or oversee MPHA’s privatization and eviction plans. We need our elected officials to step up and say NO RAD, NO to privatization and NO to forced evictions!
For a PDF copy of this report please follow this link: https://www.dgphc.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Elliot-Twinss-RAD-Eviction-Plan-by-MPHA-Leaked-1.pdh
