Minneapolis Mayoral Candidates
to Debate Affordable Housing August 28
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (August 2, 2001) - Four of the leading candidates for Mayor of Minneapolis have agreed to participate in a forum on affordable housing, which will be held on Tuesday,
August 28 from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Central Lutheran Church, 333 South
12th Street in Minneapolis.
The forum, titled "What Would You Do About the Affordable Housing Crisis in Minneapolis?," is sponsored by the Housing Resource Center and Senior Companion and Foster Grandparent programs, all services of Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota. It is free and open to the public.
The candidates who will participate in the forum are: Minneapolis Mayor Sharon Sayles Belton, (DFL) , Hennepin County Commissioner Mark Stenglein, who has filed as an Independent; Lisa McDonald, Minneapolis City Council member who has filed as a DFLer, and R.T. Rybak, a community activist who has also filed as a DFLer in the mayoral race.
"Lack of affordable housing is a key issue in the campaign for Minneapolis mayor," said Bill Vanderwall, Director of Housing Services for Lutheran Social Service.
"In Minneapolis, shelters are overcrowded, rental vacancy rates are at all time lows and many families are forced to double up because they cannot find affordable housing. Our housing crisis-affecting families, young people and seniors, too-is a serious community issue that needs debate. Involvement by public policy leaders must be part of the solution."
Each of the candidates will be asked to discuss their view of the current housing situation in the city and what public policy steps they advocate to deal with the shortage of available affordable housing. The forum will also provide an opportunity for the candidates to address housing issues, both through prepared statements and in response to questions from the audience.
For more information, please call Bill Vanderwall, Director of Housing Services for Lutheran Social Service, at 612/879-5224.
Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota is a major provider of housing services in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. The agency offers: four transitional housing programs for families; scattered site housing and a transitional housing program for youth; the Housing Resource Center in Minneapolis, a landlord recruitment program; and Housing First, a new and innovative concept to place individuals and families in housing first-before shelters or transitional housing-with supportive services to help them stay in their homes. Lutheran Social Service is also a major partner in the Phillips Park Initiative, a four-block neighborhood redevelopment effort in the Phillips Neighborhood.
