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, which is why Sen. Smith is committed to addressing the affordable housing crisis affecting people in communities across the state. Unstable and unsafe housing conditions often upend young people’s ability to learn in school, prevent parents from finding and holding jobs capable of supporting their family, and have long-lasting, negative mental and physical health impacts. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the severity of the housing affordability crisis, making an already dire situation worse. To address this, Sen. Smith helped pass the American Rescue Plan in 2021, which provided billions of dollars in emergency rental assistance, homeowner assistance and housing vouchers to keep people sheltered and healthy. She also helped pass the CARES Act in 2020, which provided critical rental assistance to families in need.
Both the CARES Act and American Rescue Plan provided unprecedented but temporary assistance. There’s more work needed to put permanent measures in place, and Sen. Smith is still fighting. As chair of the Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation and Community Development, she’s working to address homelessness, boost the supply of housing, invest in rural and senior housing, and eliminate home health and safety hazards.
While the lack of quality, affordable housing affects everyone. Sen. Smith understands that housing insecurity hits some communities harder than others. Renters are struggling to find units they can afford, homeownership is increasingly out of reach, and homelessness has been on the rise. Black and Indigenous individuals, and other people of color in Minnesota, as well as seniors and veterans, too often bear the brunt of these 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.
As we look to the future, Sen. Smith recognizes the importance of supporting improvements in federal housing programs like USDA’s Rural Housing Service, the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act, and the Housing Trust Fund. As a member of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, Sen. Smith has introduced legislation to improve fire safety in homes, support homebuyers in Native communities, and address the legacy of housing discrimination. She will continue to fight for measures like these until they become law because everyone deserves a safe, affordable place to live.
Latest Releases
U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar, Tina Smith Press the Administration on Potential Closure of Paul Wellstone Federal Building in Minneapolis
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) wrote a letter demanding answers about reported plans to close and sell the Paul Wellstone Federal Building in Minneapolis. This building provides key federal services, including housing assistance, worker protections, and passport processing. In a letter to General Services Administration (GSA) Administrator Stephen Ehikian, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner, National Labor Relations Board Chairman Marvin E. Kaplan, and Bureau of Consular Affairs Senior Official John Armstrong, the Senators warned that shutting it down would put these essential services at risk. “Abrupt closure of the Wellstone Building would put housing and worker protection services into immediate peril. Minnesotans rely on Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) programs to afford rent, access housing or prepare to become homeowners. These federal employees help deliver vital rental assistance, homelessness services, respond to housing discrimination, provide housing counseling and assist cities with community development,” wrote the Senators. The federal building was renamed after Paul Wellstone in 2022 through bipartisan legislation led by Senators Amy Klobuchar, Tina Smith, and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) to honor the late Senator Paul Wellstone’s legacy of public service. Last year, both Senators celebrated the renaming of the building at a ceremony honoring Paul Wellstone and his lifelong dedication to Minnesotans. In the letter, they also raised concerns that GSA has not followed its own requirements for public engagement and proper planning before offloading federal property. They demanded transparency on whether the federal government intends to close the
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Announces Federal Investment to Lower Housing Costs Through Zoning Reform in Twin Cities Metro Area
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN), Ranking Member of the Senate Housing Subcommittee, announced an additional $5 million for the Twin Cities Metro area to assist with updating local zoning laws to build more affordable housing. The award will add to the $4 million previously announced in June 2024. The funding will provide technical support to cities and towns already in the process of updating their housing plans, community development strategies and best practices around zoning policy to incentivize more housing development. The funding will allow the Met Council to fully fund staff for the project through 2030. “We have to tackle our housing crisis at every level of government. Boosting the supply of housing is necessary to drive down costs, and that takes federal, state, local and private-sector coordination,” said Senator Smith. “Localities across the Metro have been working hard to reduce barriers to affordable housing and improve community development. This federal funding will support these efforts and further invest in the production and preservation of affordable housing in the region.” “Neighbors for More Neighbors celebrates this newly-awarded grant to the Metropolitan Council. Minneapolis has seen the positive impact of legalizing more housing types in neighborhoods across the city. We are confident that similar reforms, encouraged by this grant and undertaken across the Twin Cities metro area, will help everyone find secure, affordable homes in the neighborhoods they choose,” said Anna Nelson, Board Chair at Neighbors for More Neighbors. Local zoning laws dictate where housing can be built and what
Senators Smith, Lummis Seek Key Clarifications to Address Native American and Rural Homelessness, Overcrowding
U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-MN) and Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) sent a letter to Secretary Marcia Fudge urging the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to help address homelessness in Native and rural communities and to provide clarity on the federal definition of homelessness. The Senators are the Chair and Ranking Member, respectively, of the Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development. The letter follows a bipartisan hearing led by Smith and Lummis on the “State of Native American Housing” where witnesses described the severe homelessness and overcrowding issues facing rural and Native American communities. “The stories we
U.S. Senators Tina Smith, Mike Rounds Announce More Bipartisan Support for Legislation to Modernize and Reform Rural Housing Programs
Washington [9.19.23] – This week, Senators Tina Smith (D-MN) and Mike Rounds (R-SD) announced growing support for their bipartisan legislation to improve federal rural housing programs, cut red tape, and strengthen the supply of affordable housing. Their updated bill would represent the most significant Rural Housing Service reforms years, and has the support of a large bipartisan group of senators including eight members of the Banking Committee. New cosponsors include Senators Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Jon Tester (D-MT), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Steve Daines (R-MT), and John Fetterman (D-PA). “Without a safe, affordable place to live, nothing else
U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar, Tina Smith Reintroduce Legislation to Improve Fire Safety in Public Housing
WASHINGTON, D.C. [8.3.23] – U.S. Senators Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar (both D-MN) reintroduced legislation to help install sprinkler systems in older public housing buildings. Companion legislation was also introduced in the House by U.S. Representatives Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ 15) and John Rutherford (R-FL 05) with support from Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN 5). Smith originally introduced the Public Housing Fire Safety Act following the tragic Cedar High Apartments fire, which took place in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 2019. The upper floors of the building, where the fire erupted, did not have sprinkler systems installed. “In the wake of the tragic
U.S. Senators Smith, Lummis Defend Homeowners Against Predatory Home Buyers
WASHINGTON. D.C. – U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-MN) and Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) sent a letter to the National Association of Attorneys General recommending that state attorneys general take steps to protect homeowners from predatory home-buying practices. Senators Smith and Lummis were concerned by allegations that some franchises of HomeVestors of America, commonly recognized by their advertising catchphrase, “We Buy Ugly Houses,” were targeting elderly and ill homeowners. “Home equity represents more than a quarter of all household wealth in our country and we are deeply troubled by schemes that are all too eager to pilfer it,” wrote the Senators. “We
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