Housing Justice League Rallies for TOPA
Community organizers gather to demand that the City Council pass a strong, equitable Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act
On October 5th, Minneapolis residents, organized by the Housing Justice League, gathered to urge the City Council to pass a policy that would expand homeownership and economic opportunity for renters. The policy, known as TOPA, or Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act, would grant renters the right to make the first bid when their building or home goes up for sale.
Coalition statement
Our coalition of renters, advocates, and grassroots organizations has been fighting for a seat at the table for tenants in the form of Tenant Opportunity to Purchase (TOPA) for 7 years here in Minneapolis. The dream of this policy emerged from systemic struggles of BIPOC renters who have been stripped of their agency through processes of displacement and dispossession at the point of sale. Housing Justice League has engaged with hundreds of tenants and homeowners as well as many small scale landlords and financial experts, affirming the need for meaningful opportunities for community ownership.
Our plan today was to open an excited invitation to take part in the first leg of passing this crucial policy at the Business, Housing, and Zoning Committee on Oct 14th. To our disappointment, we’ve heard from the bill authors that their colleagues remain reticent to support TOPA’s passage. Oct 14th should have been a day of progress for our city. Instead, it will be another missed opportunity for our legislators to begin righting the power imbalance between renters and capital interests by advancing a strong TOPA policy.
We are asking each council member who remains on the fence on TOPA a simple question: Are your reservations worth the continued displacement that renters face during the sale of their homes? Our system currently only values the agency of an owner and a possible seller when properties change hands. Minneapolis is a majority renter city. It is time for every renter to have agency and a seat at the table to preserve the homes they’ve built and the roots they’ve set down. We are calling on each and every council member to support the passage of this crucial policy.
Time is running out in this iteration of the city council. The future is not assured for any initiative across elections. We are closer to making this policy a reality than ever before, and MUST pass it before the end of the year. To that end, we are asking the current council: Don’t let the clock run out. Introduce TOPA at the Oct 28th BHZ Committee and assure the community can go from roots to roofs.
Housing Justice League
About the Housing Justice League
The Housing Justice League is a coalition of community-based organizations advocating for policy change and building grassroots support for housing justice in Minneapolis.
Coalition members include The Alliance for Metropolitan Stability, Ayada Leads, Harrison Neighborhood Association, Heritage Park Neighborhood Association, HOME Line, Housing in Action, Housing Justice Center, Future of Us, Inquilinxs Unidxs por Justicia, Jewish Community Action, Minnesota Consortium of Community Developers, Minnesota Voice, Neighbors for More Neighbors, Pillsbury United Communities, and Powderhorn Park Neighborhood Association
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In the news
“Housing in Action’s Equity and Engagement Director Temi Ogunrinde encouraged council members to reexamine and support the policy.’“Because we believe that housing is a human right, because we believe community ownership is the next step forward, we are emphatically endorsing TOPA,’ Ogunrinde said. Renters ‘deserve the opportunity to stay in their communities.”
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