For the 2026 state legislative session, Align Minneapolis has one top priority for which we will advocate at the Capitol along with two ongoing priorities that remain important and we will continue to build support for. Below is information about the priorities and why they are important.

Align Minneapolis is part of the Homes for All coalition and endorses the full Homes for All agenda, which can be found here: https://homesforallmn.org/h4a-2025-agenda/

Top Priority: Homeless Prevention and Assistance Funds

Bill Numbers: SF1511, HF 1141 (original bill HF2144)

Status: $40M one-time funding included in the Housing Finance and Policy Supplemental Budget Bill (HF 1141), which will be heard in the House Housing Finance and Policy Committee

Overview: Preventing homelessness from occurring is a critical part of addressing homelessness. The Family Homeless Prevention and Assistance Program (FHPAP) provides much-needed direct assistance to help households get caught up on rent, and currently has only a fraction of the funding needed. The bill would provide an increase of $35M to the base appropriation of FHPAP to provide housing stability and reduce homelessness. We will provide letters of support and ask legislators to support this bill.

Bill of Rights for People Utilizing Shelter

Overview: This issue is a top priority for our friends at Street Voices of Change, the group of people with lived experiences of homelessness who come together to organize for meaningful change (supported by Align). The bill would provide a base standard for safe, adequate and dignified shelter across the State. Currently there are no State standards for shelters that provide space for people experiencing homelessness. Street Voices of Change worked hard to create a Shelter Resident’s Bill of Rights that is now part of Hennepin County contracts for shelter, and this bill would emulate that throughout the state. Other partners who are part of the work on this bill include MN Legal Aid and MICAH.

Constitutional Amendment for Housing

Bill Numbers: SF2621, HF3279

Status: Hearing completed in the Senate Housing and Homelessness Prevention Committee on Tuesday, March 3, passed on from committee. Hearing completed in Senate Health and Human Services Committee March 10th, passed on from committee. Hearing completed in the Senate State and Local Government Committee on Tuesday, March 24th, passed on from committee. The Our Future Starts at Home coalition held a Day on the Hill on April 23rd, and spoke with a number of lawmakers to share about this bill and gather support.

Overview: The proposed amendment would create a dedicated source of funding for housing through a Constitutional Amendment. As a state we have significantly underinvested in housing and we need to ensure the state is making the investments required to truly address our current housing crisis. This legislation would put a question on the ballot in 2024 to ask voters to decide to amend our State Constitution to create 3 specific funds for housing- Homeownership Fund, Rental Opportunity Fund, and Household & Community Stability Fund– by adding a sales tax (food and clothing excluded) equivalent to 38 cents on every $100.