Star Tribune: Gentrification plays a role in limiting rental options

Data released from a University of Minnesota gentrification study has triggered a full-scale debate on why there is a lack of affordable housing in Minneapolis. The study’s authors point to low wages in households of color as the primary issue. But Owen Duckworth, coalition organizer for the Alliance, says the problem is more complex than that. “While stagnant wages do play a role in limiting access to housing, defining the current problem our region faces as gentrification is vital. It opens a critical conversation on the lack of access and of protections facing renters, especially low-income renters and renters of color — and especially in a tight rental market with less than 3 percent vacancy.”

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