2024 Legislative Priorities
Nearly 20,000 Minnesotans experience homelessness on any given night, and individuals identifying as Black, African American or Native American are disproportionately impacted. It is our mission at Catholic Charities to serve those most in need and to advocate for justice in our community. Our 2024 legislative priorities focus on supporting our direct service programs and addressing systemic inequities in housing.
Sustainable Emergency Shelter Operations
Investments made by the 2023 Legislature are supporting emergency shelter operations throughout the state, but after years of underinvestment, providers like Catholic Charities continue to experience significant budget shortfalls for their most essential services. Without additional public aid, shelter safety net programs — including those providing basic needs and access to healthcare, housing navigation, employment services and more — risk reducing services for the most vulnerable members of our community.
Catholic Charities supports:
- State aid to address immediate budget shortfalls for emergency shelter operations.
- The development of a more sustainable, predictable funding model for shelter operations and providers.
- Efforts to clarify the roles of government jurisdictions in responding to the homelessness crisis.
Reducing Barriers to Supportive Housing
Minnesota’s Housing Support program pairs housing assistance (e.g., rent, linens, laundry) with case management for low-income seniors, veterans and adults with disabilities who are at risk of homelessness. It is one of the state’s best tools to prevent and end homelessness, but challenges driven by inequitable income formulas, eligibility and referral processes mean available units too often sit vacant while shelters are full and rates of unsheltered homelessness rise.
Catholic Charities supports:
- Extending 30% of income protections passed in the 2023 session to include individuals with disabilities and veterans who reside in Board & Lodge settings.
- Adjusting the personal needs allowance for Housing Support residents who receive General Assistance.
- Simplifying supportive housing eligibility and referral processes to ensure our highest-risk neighbors are not told they “aren’t homeless enough” to qualify for support.
For more information contact Lorna Schmidt, Director of Public Policy & Advocacy, at lorna.schmidt@cctwincities.org.