Habitat on the Hill Minnesota
Thursday, April 18, 2024
9:30 a.m.
Minnesota State Capitol
Join us on the Hill
Rally together with Habitat supporters from across the state at the Minnesota State Capitol on Thursday, April 18! You'll experience an inspiring program, you'll have the chance to meet with your legislators, and you'll get all the training you need to advocate effectively. All you need to bring is your passion for Habitat’s mission.
Habitat on the Hill is completely free. You’ll receive a light breakfast, boxed lunch, and Habitat swag. See you on the Hill!
Registration for this event is now closed, but if you're not registered you're still welcome to join us for our main program in the Capitol Rotunda at 10:30 a.m.
Event Details
Cost - Free!
Location - Minnesota State Capitol
-Rally in the Rotunda
-Registration, Breakfast, and Lunch in the L'Etoile du Nord Vault Room
Agenda
9:30 a.m. – Registration and breakfast (Vault Room)
10:30 a.m. – Main program, training and group photo (Rotunda)
11:45 a.m. – Boxed lunch (Vault Room) and then meet with legislators
See full agenda here.
Questions? Contact the team at advocacy@tchabitat.org.
Hosted by
Your Legislator Meetings 101
When you're meeting with your legislators to advocate for something important to you, just remember: they work for you! We've got all the tools you'll need for successful lawmaker meetings. Click the links below to access the files. Hard copies of these documents will also be provided to you at Habitat on the Hill.
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Legislative Meeting Guide
This worksheet includes a legislative meeting outline, key talking points, and other helpful tips. -
How to Find Your Legislator
This document provides instructions for how to pull your legislator out of a floor session and helps you get to your legislative meeting. -
Legislative Leave-Behind
Give this document to your legislators when you meet. It explains more about Habitat and our legislative asks this year.
In addition to these materials, attendees will receive a document with info about their Representative and Senator.
How to Tell Your Story
Human connection is the most important part of grassroots advocacy work. A good story can impact a lawmaker much more than a mountain of statistics. Advocacy with Habitat is your opportunity to share why you are passionate about Habitat and affordable homeownership. These resources will help.
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How to Tell Your Story
This worksheet can help you create your own story you can share with your legislators. -
More Habitat Stories
Check out our blog for more stories of Habitat homeowners, volunteers, advocates, news, and more.
More Habitat Resources
Your lawmakers might ask you questions that you don't have the answers to. That's OK! You can just let a member of our Advocacy Team know and they will follow up. But here are a few additional resources that might be helpful for you.
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Racial Disparities in Housing Fact Sheet
Overview of how Minnesota's racial disparities in housing were intentionally created through racist policies and practices and how Habitat's part of the solution. -
Race and Housing Series
View all the blogs we've created on the history of racial discrimination in housing, plus many more resources. -
Habitat for Humanity Minnesota 2021 Housing Production Report
FAQs
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What can I expect at Habitat on the Hill?
Click here to view the full agenda.
Check-in starts at 9:30 a.m. with breakfast and coffee available for registrants in the L'Etoile du Nord Vault Room. We'll ask participants to move up to the Rotunda by 10:15 to be ready for the program to begin at 10:30. The program will include elected housing leaders at the State Capitol and a training session on Habitat’s legislative priorities for lawmaker meetings in the afternoon. After a group picture, a boxed lunch will be provided in the Vault Room, and groups will head out to meet with their elected representatives. Your group may be large or just yourself depending on who has signed up to join from your district! Expect a fun-filled day at the Capitol—and if you have any questions, Habitat staff will be available as support at the event.
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How do I get to the event?
Room Locations
Registration, Breakfast, Lunch: Held in the L’Etoile du Nord Vault Room at the Minnesota State Capitol. You can find this space at the basement level of the Capitol in room B-15.
Main Program: Held in the Capitol Rotunda.
Parking
Drive and park at the multiple pay lots or street parking available near the Capitol including public lots: Lot H, Lot K, and Lot Q. Lot AA and Lot C are not options this year due to construction around the Capitol complex.
Public Transit
To arrive you can take the Metro Transit Green Line and hop off at the Capitol/Rice Street Station.
Ride Share
Use Uber or Lyft to drop you off in front of the State Capitol Building.
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What are we advocating for this year?
Homeowner Associations Reform
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Habitat for Humanity is hearing directly from homeowners about challenges with HOAs. While HOAs can be very helpful to residents, they also are able to charge extraordinary fines and attorney fees and foreclose for nominal amounts without established timelines, notification processes, or recourse for resolving disputes. Additionally, the state lacks data on HOAs necessary for addressing this issue.
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This bill would set the stage to create better policies around HOAs. The working group would seek to understand best practices for navigating HOAs, gather data to track trends across the state, and compile a report to inform future recommendations.
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We want this system to work for everyone. Twin Cities Habitat works closely with HOAs and understands their importance. This bill would help homeowners have positive experiences with HOAs and ensure homeownership is sustainable going forward for owners.
Investment into Housing Infrastructure Bonds
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Minnesota’s housing stock is not able to meet the state’s affordable housing needs. With our state’s competitive market and the limited supply of affordable homes, it has become harder than ever to afford a home. Through state investment in new production, we can increase the supply of affordable housing and take a step forward in addressing the needs of our state.
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This will support the production of affordable housing across the housing continuum. By putting more money into HIBs, you are helping advance the goal for everyone to find a home.
Reduce Barriers to Building More Homes
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Land-use regulations can work to advance community goals, including affordable homeownership. Supporting land-use regulations that are aligned with advancing affordable housing ensures the state is addressing local housing needs.
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A diverse housing stock is needed for a healthy housing continuum. Supporting the development of many kinds of housing is necessary to prioritize production of new homes. Additionally, improving the approval processes, costs, and timelines of development is needed to effectively keep up with our state’s supply needs.
Adopt a Constitutional Amendment for Housing
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We need a sustainable and ongoing source of funding to address the affordable housing crisis. We saw a historic and much needed investment of $1 billion into housing last year. As monumental as this effort was, we need reliable, consistent funding in the future to help address housing needs across the continuum.
See all these asks on the legislative leave-behind we'll be sharing with legislators!
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What are Legislator Meetings like?
While meeting with your lawmaker can feel nerve-wracking, remember that they are there working for you and your community! In a legislator meeting, we recommend opening with introductions and stories about why you are there to support affordable homeownership. Afterward, share Habitat’s legislative priorities and the impacts they can make for your community. Remember, you don't need to be an expert—you can share what you know, and if you get questions you can't answer, refer them to the Government Affairs Team. Finally, thank them for their time and that’s it! You can expect meetings to be less than 15 minutes long.
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What if I signed up but can no longer attend?
No worries, it happens! Please email advocacy@tchabitat.org to unregister. Space is limited, so please take this step if you can't make it so your spot can go to someone else. Thanks!