Senator Smith knows that without a safe, affordable place to live, nothing else in your life works. Not your job, your health, your family, or your education.
All Minnesotans deserve access to safe, secure, and stable housing. That is why Sen. Smith is committed to addressing the housing crisis happening in Minnesota and across the country. In the Senate, Senator Smith is recognized as a leading voice in proposing policy solutions to fix the affordable housing crisis. She is the top Democrat on the Housing, Transportation and Community Development Subcommittee, and in that role has held numerous hearings and proposed many bills aimed at addressing homelessness, boosting the supply of housing, investing in rural and senior housing, eliminating health and safety hazards in homes, and fighting against private equity and other bad actors pushing up the cost of housing.
Sen. Smith understands that renters are struggling to find units they can afford, homeownership is increasingly out of reach, and homelessness is on the rise. Unstable housing upends young people’s ability to learn in school, makes it hard for parents to hold down jobs, and has long-lasting, negative mental and physical health impacts.
Sen. Smith understands that renters are struggling to find units they can afford, homeownership is increasingly out of reach, and homelessness is on the rise.
While the lack of quality, affordable housing affects all communities, Black and Native individuals, other people of color in Minnesota, seniors, veterans and rural communities, often face disproportionately difficult housing challenges. As a member of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, Sen. Smith has been a champion for addressing the housing inequities that Native Americans and Tribal Nations face. In 2020, two of her bills related to Native housing became law: the Tribal Access to Homeless Assistance Act and the Native American Housing Affordability Act, which make it easier for Tribes to access funds to combat homelessness and secure mortgages on trust lands, respectively.
Sen. Smith believes it is important to both make improvements to existing programs and propose new, bold solutions. As a member of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, she has introduced legislation to improve fire safety in homes, support homebuyers in Native communities and address the legacy of housing discrimination. Her bipartisan Rural Housing Service Reform Act would make important updates to USDA’s housing programs and protect properties in Minnesota’s rural communities from losing their affordability. She co-leads the bipartisan Reducing Homelessness Through Program Reform Act that would cut red tape and streamline federal homelessness programs to help house people faster and more efficiently. Additionally, Sen. Smith’s Housing for All Veterans Act would permanently prevent and end veteran homelessness across the country. And her Homes Act would give millions of Americans the freedom and opportunity to build the life they want by creating over a million permanently affordable homes.
Senator Smith will continue to fight for measures like these until they become law because she believes everyone deserves a safe, affordable place to live.
Latest Releases
U.S. Senator Tina Smith’s Statement on Trump Administration Releasing Heating Assistance Funding for Minnesota
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – Following news that the Trump Administration responded to her bipartisan push to release $12 million in frozen emergency heating assistance for thousands of eligible Minnesotans, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) released the following statement: “Cutting heating assistance for families just trying to stay warm and safe in cold weather was thoughtless and cruel by DOGE. Thousands of Minnesotans depend on LIHEAP to make ends meet. They don’t have a Plan B. I fought hard for this funding for a reason and I wasn’t going to sit by and watch it disappear for folks who rely on it,” said Senator Smith. “I’m glad Trump and DOGE have reversed course on this decision, but I want to be clear that LIHEAP is still threatened. The Administration has fired all the workers who administer the program, and come this winter, I worry about how this funding will get to families needing to stay warm.” Senator Smith has long been a champion of the LIHEAP program. Senator Smith helped secure $112 million for Minnesota last year, an increase from years prior. Following the announcement that the Trump Administration fired all the workers at LIHEAP, Senator Smith released a statement saying she would demand answers.
U.S. Senators Tina Smith, Mike Rounds Reintroduce Bipartisan Rural Housing Legislation
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-MN) and Mike Rounds (R-SD) reintroduced their bipartisan legislation to improve federal rural housing programs and strengthen the supply of affordable housing in rural America. The legislation would represent the most significant Rural Housing Service reforms in decades . The Rural Housing Service expands housing opportunities by offering loans, grants, and rental assistance to rural communities across the country. Rural parts of the country saw only a 1.7% increase in the number of housing units between 2010 and 2020, with almost half of states seeing a decrease in the number of rural units. According to the Minnesota Housing Partnership, every county in Minnesota has a shortage of affordable and available rental homes for extremely low-income households. 79% of counties have a shortage that exceeds 100 homes, and 31% have a shortage exceeding 500 homes. Additionally, many properties financed by the Rural Housing Service decades ago — which often can be the only affordable housing option for people living in rural communities — are now at risk of being permanently lost. “Without a safe, affordable place to live, nothing else in your life works. Not your job, not your education, not your health,” said Senator Smith. “We know that the housing crisis is hurting communities across the country, and the problem is particularly acute in rural places. This legislation is the direct result of bipartisan hearings and conversations with stakeholders who helped identify ways we can make federal rural housing programs work better for people struggling to find a safe, affordable place to live.” “Improving homeownership opportunities, particularly in rural areas, is critical
U.S. Senators Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar Announce Over $20 Million in Federal Funding to Preserve Affordable Housing
ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA – Today, U.S. Senators Tina Smith, Chair of the Senate Housing Subcommittee, and Amy Klobuchar (both D-MN) announced over $20 million in federal funding
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Presses Multi-Billion Dollar Corporation on Predatory Practices That Are Pricing Out Lake Elmo, Minnesota Residents
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN), Chair of the Senate Housing Subcommittee, sent a letter to the Chief Executive Officer of Equity
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Presses Multi-Billion Dollar Corporation on Predatory Practices That Are Pricing Out Lake Elmo, Minnesota Residents
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN), Chair of the Senate Housing Subcommittee, sent a letter to the Chief Executive Officer of Equity
U.S. Senator Tina Smith and Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez Introduce Homes Act to Tackle America’s Housing Crisis
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Chair of the Senate Housing, Transportation and Community Development Subcommittee, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14) today unveiled legislation that would reimagine housing