The Link: Seeds of Land Return Toolkit
12/14/22
This issue of the Link includes a new resource on from the Sustainable Economies Law Center that provides legal tools to help you liberate land from the exploitative market and return it to community; new data from the U.S. Census Bureau that includes an interactive map by county for housing cost ratios for renters and homeowners; a new website from Ashley Fairbanks outlining common mistakes in communicating about the climate crisis — and principles that promote hope and catalyze action; a new podcast on “Afrofuturism and Housing Justice;” articles including “Minneapolis rent stabilization group votes to recommend 3% cap on rent increases” and “The dirty road to clean energy” events, jobs and more! Read the Link >
The Link: Top 6 Tenant Protections Renters Are Fighting For
11/30/22
This issue of the Link includes a new dashboard from the Urban Institute tracking rent payments to mom-and-pop landlords; a new toolkit from the Center for Community Investment outlining a framework for working with health partners to address systemic disinvestment; a new report from the NDN Collective outlining “what over 5,000 Indigenous people in MN, ND, and SD had to say about redefining wealth on Indigenous terms;” articles including “Leaders at the Capitol say Minnesota has chance to ‘go really big’ on housing” and “How can the Inflation Reduction Act work for communities?” events, jobs and more! Read the Link >
The Link: Commercial Community Ownership as a Strategy for Just Development
11/16/22
This issue of the Link includes a new report from LISC highlighting commercial community ownership strategies; new research on the inequity of color-blind climate policies; a new podcast from Training for Change uplifting stories and lessons from issue-based action campaigns; articles including “Minnesota voters sweep in the state’s most diverse Legislature” and “America’s First All-Electric Transit Agency Isn’t What You Might Expect;” events, jobs and more! Read the Link >
The Link: Racial Wealth Equity Database
11/2/22
This issue of the Link includes a new resource from Prosperity Now that is “building a comprehensive repository for Black wealth data;” new infographics on developing local housing strategy from Housing Solutions Lab; research on equity in the distribution of federal emergency rental assistance; the recap of our Actualizing Equity in Climate and Environmental Justice event; articles including “Tenant organizations ask to intervene in lawsuit challenging St. Paul rent control” and “With renewables, Native communities chart a path to energy sovereignty;” events, jobs and more! Read the Link >
The Link: Why Grassroots Action Is the Most Likely Path to Systemic Change
10/19/22
This issue of the Link includes new research from the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA) that outlines the fight to save the Lowry Grove manufactured housing community; a new report from the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA) that provides “the clearest and most comprehensive evidence to date of how better waste management is critical to the climate fight;” the Guaranteed Income Pilots Dashboard that visualizes data from 30+ guaranteed income pilots across the United States, including pilots in St. Paul; articles including “Mid-Lease Rent Hikes Surprise Affordable Housing Tenants” and “Why Grassroots Action Is the Most Likely Path to Systemic Change;” events, jobs and more! Read the Link >
The Link: The Devaluation of Assets in Black Neighborhoods
10/5/22
This issue of the Link includes new research from Brookings Institution that tests whether commercial real estate is valued differently depending on the Black share of population; a new guide from the Othering and Belonging Institute on how local governments can partner with Community Land Trusts to achieve their goals; the video recording of our most Actualizing Equity in Climate and Environmental Justice event; articles including “Public Pressing MnDOT to Think Outside the Box in Interstate 94 Review” and “How Public Spaces Can Keep Small Businesses Open;” events, jobs and more! Read the Link >
The Link: Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Gaining Traction
9/21/22
This issue of the Link includes a new tool from PolicyLink tracking Tenant and Community Opportunity to Purchase policies and campaigns across the country; new research from Minnesota Housing Partnership on “Key Facts on Housing 2022;” a new guide from the Native Governance Center on Sovereignty and the Outdoors; articles including “Creating a safe space for Black bodies on bikes” and “Metro Transit tests new Uber-Lyft-like service on Northside;” events, jobs and more! Read the Link >
The Link: Minnesota’s Black Labor Force
9/7/22
This issue of the Link includes new research brief from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development on Minnesota Black Labor Force; new research from Housing Solutions Lab on the positive impact of Source of Income protection policies; a new report from the Social & Economic Justice Leaders Project on “Reframing the Prevailing American Narrative for 2052;” articles including “This is why we need to defend a strong rent stabilization policy” and “He grew up next to a train track. Now Lyn Park man relives nightmare with light rail;” events, jobs and more! Read the Link >
The Link: *Updated* Equitable Development Principles and Scorecard
8/10/22
This issue of the Link includes the updated and revised Equitable Development Principles and Scorecard; a new report from from the Governor’s Council on Economic Expansion on “Minnesota’s Moment: A Roadmap for Equitable Economic Expansion;” a video explainer from Shelterforce on “What is the Financialization of Housing?;” a new mapping resource that puts into practice the concept of Racially Concentrated Areas of Affluence; articles including “The Cities Encouraging Healing With ‘Trauma-Informed Placemaking’” and “No Parking Anytime: How Parking Minimums Impede Transit-Oriented Housing;” events, jobs and more! Read the Link >
The Link: Four Options to Support Vulnerable Renters as Emergency Measures End
7/27/22
This issue of the Link includes BROKE, a new resource that “examines the stories we tell about poverty and wealth, and points to how we can grow and transform as a community of activists, communicators, storytellers, and strategists;” a new report from Policy Link that explores “Will ARPA’s Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Advance Racial Equity?;” a new data snapshot on how “renewable energy helped keep the lights on and air conditioning running on [record heat] days;” articles including “Private equity firms now rank among the largest owners of US subsidized affordable housing properties” and “Transit agencies try decarceral approaches to improve rider safety;” events, jobs and more! Read the Link >
The Link: Radical Healing
7/13/22
This issue of the Link includes a new resource from the Chisholm Legacy Project featuring policies to support Black climate justice leadership; a new report from the Urban Institute that shares how “data chats” center the knowledge, community understanding, and experiences of people who live in a neighborhood as much as quantitative data; the latest annual report from Smart Growth America providing the most up-to-date look at the preventable epidemic of people struck and killed while walking; articles including “Tenants say landlords are skirting St. Paul rent control with new utility charges” and “Minneapolis’ Black homeownership rate keeps falling, but why exactly? It’s complicated;” events, jobs and more! Read the Link >
The Link: The A-Z of Effective, Inclusive Campaigns
6/29/22
This issue of the Link includes a new video from the 100 Percent Campaign and Ricardo Levins Morales on “how we keep moving into an uncertain future;” a new resource on “how to integrate disabled people into every aspect of [campaign and voter engagement] work;” the State of the Nation’s Housing 2022 report; a new guide on integrating participatory budgeting into organizations; articles about how the overturn of Roe vs Wade puts people of color at disproportionate risk of harm, debunking landlords myths about rent control and “The Case for Rupture;” events, jobs and more! Read the Link >
The Link: Narrative Shifts for Powerful Movements
6/15/22
This issue of the Link includes the 2021 State of Black Minnesota report from the Urban League; a new report detailing how communities can leverage current and future infrastructure funding to advance health and equity; a new report on “Dismantling the Role of Law Enforcement in Traffic Safety;” a new series on “Community Belonging & Climate Futures;” articles about the Blue Line Anti-Displacement Working Group, “Restorative Housing Policy” and the massive development proposed for the Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant; events, jobs and more! Read the Link >
The Link: Color of Coronavirus
6/1/22
This issue of the Link includes new data analysis from American Public Media on COVID mortality rates by race; a new field scan on “Shared Spaces and Health Equity;” new analysis from the Urban Institute on how direct cash transfer programs can reduce housing instability; a new commentary from members of the Business Resource Collective on the need for increased and sustained investment in BIPOC small businesses; articles on the adoption of inclusionary zoning policies region wide, new housing and retail development in North Minneapolis, and “Who have we learned from? The people;” events, jobs and more! Read the Link >
The Link: Sustainability from an Indigenous Perspective
5/18/22
This issue of the Link includes a new report from the National Equity Atlas on “The Shrinking Geography of Opportunity in Metro America;” a new fact sheet from Minnesota Housing Partnership on the scale and demographics of rent debt across the state; first-of-its-kind research on the public health and equity impacts of Minnesota Power’s long-range plan; articles on sustainability from an Indigenous perspective, Northside resident concerns about the Blue Line extension, and “Are Urban Planners Staying Silent on Climate Gentrification;” events, jobs and more! Read the Link >
The Link: Corporate Landlords and Market Power
5/4/22
This issue of the Link includes a new report on “Corporate Landlords and Market Power: What does the single-family rental boom mean for our housing future;” a new policy primer on “An Economy for All: Building a Black Women Best Legislative Agenda;” a new explainer that outlines the opportunities to secure federal funding to meet families’ local housing needs from coronavirus relief funds; articles on the “Extraordinary Wealth Created by the Pandemic Housing Market,” the need for additional state rental assistance, how tax assessments are racist; events, jobs and more! Read the Link >
The Link: The Racist Manipulation of DEI Language
4/20/22
This issue of the Link includes a new report on “The Journey to Belonging in the Twin Cities” for migrants, immigrants and refugees; a report outlining the proposed new route for the Blue Line Extension project; a “Disability Justice Audit Tool” for BIPOC-led organizations; an exploration of how Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) language is being weaponized to protect white supremacy culture; articles about the growing power of tenant unions, a green jobs training aimed at BIPOC job seekers and the threat to manufactured home parks in a red-hot housing market; events, jobs and more! Read the Link >
The Link: A How-To Guide to Decriminalizing Mobility
4/6/22
This issue of the Link includes a new report on vehicle electrification from Alliance member organization Fresh Energy; data on eviction filing patterns from 2021; a report from the Safe Routes Partnership on “Taking on Traffic Laws: A How-To for Decriminalizing Mobility;” a curated list of resources for Radical Rest; articles about the ongoing fight for rent stabilization, environmental justice in identifying electric bus routes, and “Taking equitable development to the next level;” events, jobs and more! Read the Link >
The Link: Rip out I-94 and start again?
3/9/22
This issue of the Link includes the latest edition of “The Gap: A Shortage of Affordable Rental Homes” from the National Low Income Housing Coalition; a new playbook on “Equitable Pathways to Small Business Recovery;” a 5-part series from Creative Wildfire on how to “Resist & Rebuild;” articles about the new Twin Cities Boulevard campaign to radically reimagine the I-94 corridor, analysis of spiking home prices in neighborhoods throughout St. Paul and Minneapolis in 2021, and the passage of a landmark tenant protections ordinance in Brooklyn Center; events, jobs and more! Read the Link >
The Link: Equity in Place releases state policy agenda
2/23/22
This edition of the Link includes the Equity in Place 2022 State Policy Agenda; the “Structural Racism Remedies Repository,” a new resource from the Othering & Belonging Institute; a just released paper on “City Climate Action Plans in Minnesota;” articles about how “Modernizing building codes would save BIPOC renters money—and help the environment” and “When Private Equity Becomes your Landlord;” events, jobs and more! Read the Link >
The Link: An End To The Housing Market As We Know It
2/9/22
This edition of the Link includes the Alliance’s statement on the murder of Amir Locke; a new concept paper on “Social Movement Investing: A Guide to Capital Strategies for Community Power;” discussion guides from the Smart Growth Equity Summit; articles on new deeply affordable housing developed by a local Hmong business on St. Paul’s East Side and a Q&A on a land trust model in North Minneapolis; events, jobs and more! Read the Link >
The Link: “Our Lives Are On the Line” Community Report
1/26/22
This edition of the Link includes a new Community Report from the Blue Line Coalition; the latest edition of “America’s Rental Housing” from Harvard’s Joint Center on Housing Studies; articles on “Racism and the Founding Fathers of Environmentalism” and “To Tackle Racial Justice, Organizing Must Change;” events, jobs and more! Read the Link >
The Link: Centering Anti-Displacement in the Blue Line Extension Project
1/12/22
This edition of the Link includes reports, events and engagement opportunities to advance anti-displacement measures in the Blue Line Extension Project; a new dashboard from the Minneapolis Federal Reserve sharing housing-related outcomes from the City of Minneapolis’ 2040 comprehensive plan; a new report from Minnesota Housing Partnership on “A Better Building Code: Increasing Housing Resilience and Racial Equity for Minnesota Renters;” resources on “Resilience & Revitalization,” 2022 narrative predictions and community-based safety responders; articles, events, jobs and more! Read the Link >