To the editor of the Shoreview Press:
As you read in a guest column I wrote earlier this year, one of my top legislative priorities is making sure all Minnesotans have access to stable, affordable housing. I’m proud to report that the Minnesota House of Representatives recently passed a bill that gets the job done.
The House DFL’s Jobs, Commerce and Housing budget contains a bill I authored (HF 1194) that makes a serious investment to prevent and end homelessness.
My bill originally invested $95 million over the next two years in the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency (MHFA), which is responsible for financing and advancing affordable housing for low and moderate income households, helping communities recover from the foreclosure crisis, and most importantly, preventing and ending homelessness.
While the final amount of funding for MHFA is slightly lower than my original proposal, it’s a big step forward and the first funding increase for the agency in nearly a decade. This is a serious investment that gives Minnesota the tools to make sure all of our residents have a place to call home. Not only is this the morally right thing to do, it’s also fiscally responsible.
Here’s why:
When Minnesotans can rely on stable, affordable housing, they are more likely to hold a steady job and pay income taxes into the state coffers instead of relying on public assistance to survive on a daily basis. Making an investment on the front-end to solve problems like homelessness saves taxpayers from paying more on the back-end.
This is also a pro-small business plan. People who struggle with high housing costs have less disposable income. When we get those costs under control, Minnesotans have more money in their pockets to spend at local businesses. More customers mean economic growth, good jobs, and more revenue for funding priorities like our children’s education.
As the legislative session continues, please contact me with questions or comments about any issue. You can reach me by phone at (651) 296-7153, by email at rep.jason.isaacson@house.mn, or by postal mail at 545 State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155.
Sincerely,
Jason ‘Ike’ Isaacson
State Representative, District 42B