A DOMESTIC abuse survivor who faced eviction twice has spoken of her “traumatic” bid to help tenants on the brink of homelessness.

Heather West told those about to be tossed out on to Minnesota’s streets to “not stop pushing for your right to have housing.”

The state has long suffered from one of the worst racial and ethnic homeownership gaps in the country, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis in 2021.

Minnesota’s top political leaders had even promised in January to “bring it home” on legislation that would expand affordable housing, said the Associated Press.

But this pledge has failed to slash evictions, with the Twin Cities of Hennepin and Ramsey counties seeing a huge spike in ejections, reported the Star Tribune.

It said that tenant evictions throughout Hennepin and Ramsey “are still surging at one of the fastest rates of any U.S. metro area.

“Through the first nine months of 2023, Hennepin County eviction filings jumped 44 percent over the previous year, while Ramsey County evictions were up 25 percent in the same period.”

More than 15,000 evictions have already been filed so far this year in Minnesota district courts.

The spike has been attributed to a triple whammy of rising costs, low income, and a continued lack of affordable housing.

“TRAUMATIC”

But, West said that most of those threatened with homelessness have no clue as to what to do when they get an eviction notice.

The domestic abuse survivor, who has faced eviction twice, told the paper: “It’s a traumatic experience.

“You have to be ready to advocate for yourself.

“These processes are not user-friendly, but don’t stop pushing for your right to have housing.”

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The Star Tribune said that evictions can happen quickly in Minnesota.

COURT

Tenants are usually expected to appear in court within just a week or two of getting notice.

And campaigners have reported that these cases are usually filed in court after tenants have missed two months’ rent.

West works with the Stable Housing is the Priority (SHiP) Collaborative, which provides solutions to end homelessness and advance housing justice.

The independent organization consists of 11 members which represent those trying to navigate the homeless response system in the Twin Cities seven-county metro, explained the Housing Justice Center.

VULNERABLE

Margaret Kaplan, president of the Housing Justice Center, said that low-income tenants have been left vulnerable when facing unexpected bills – such as for car problems or medical issues.

The system neither protected low-income families, nor allowed them “to be safely and sustainably housed,” she added.

Keith Lattimore, the county’s director of housing stability, said: “It’s not a county or city or state issue, it’s a country issue.”

Rep. Michael Howard, DFL-Richfield, said that Minnesota “(doesn’t) want to be a region like San Francisco that missed their moment.”

On May 15, 2023, Governor Tim Walz (Dem.) signed a $1.065 billion housing bill, the largest single investment in housing in state history.

It is earmarked to provide help for homeless people and the “lowest-income Minnesotans.”

The Ohio State University explained two years ago: “As governments and service agencies across the world grapple with chronic rates of homelessness and housing instability, there is a growing need to understand the value that providing secure, stable housing brings to the lives of people who are homeless and the broader community.

“Housing provided a foundation for people to envisage a better life and make plans for the future. As one woman who had fled a violent home was quoted as saying: ‘housing made everything else possible’.”