Tuesday, November 12, 2019, 7pm

Since March, many of us have been meeting, discussing, listening, and learning about housing inequality here on the East Side. The inequality stems from systemic racism, low wages, an aging population and the need for more education. As we’ve learned more, we have become more motivated to work on these issues affecting our community. 

A coalition of organizations – ABC Realty, MICAH, Dayton’s Bluff Neighborhood Housing Services, Cookie Cart, Home Ownership Center, Blue Green Alliance, and ESFL – showed films on the housing gap: the difference between homeownership rates between people of color in Minnesota and white Minnesotans. Our community discussed the films and raised recurring themes about their own experiences, from East Side seniors who can’t afford to leave their homes, to working class East Siders who can’t find affordable homes to buy. Nearly everyone expressed their concern over low wages and the high cost of living. After a final housing forum with Saint Paul’s Planning and Economic Development Department’s Deputy Director Kristin Guild and  Minnesota Housing and Financing Agency Commissioner Jennifer Ho, a number of filmmakers from TPT and organization leaders working on housing met as a team to come up with the next step. 

That’s why we want to invite you to the East Side’s first Housing Summit on November 12th at 7pm at the East Side Freedom Library. 

There will be two main focuses of this housing summit. The first is to tell YOUR story. We will be documenting and collecting community stories about housing and creating a number of engaging media and art pieces in order to raise awareness of the issues around housing on the East Side. The second focus will be to create some working language around needs and goals after discussing current events in housing on the East Side. 

Please come to the summit! Food and childcare will be provided
Free and open to all
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