Dear Allies:
Since August of 2020, public housing residents, allies, and neighborhood organizations have been asking MPHA to hold virtual community meetings to explain their 2021 MTW Plans which outline a massive RAD privatization & conversion of 23 public housing high-rises out of MPHA’s total 42 high-rises. MPHA rejected this request. We asked MPHA to hold community meetings to explain Section 18 Demolition & Disposition lease which has a number of red flags. MPHA refused to hold community meetings to explain this lease and forced scattered-sites public housing residents to sign the lease through intimidation tactics, language, and accessibility barriers.
MPHA announced they will have another virtual public hearing on Wednesday, November 18, @ 1:30 pm, without community meetings, to approve their new statement of policies that is 149 pages and a new statement of corporate policies that are 65 pages long that residents do not have access to.
How can a public agency such as MPHA have a public hearing without having public community meetings to explain what the hearings are about? MPHA does not care about community engagement or the voices of public housing residents. MPHA is rushing to approve their privatization plans without being transparent.
Why is MPHA refusing to allow Minneapolis Public Housing Residents to have equal access to information and plans that impact their housing? As public housing residents, why are we being ignored and silenced? If we were white and wealthy homeowners would the City of Minneapolis, all of our elected officials, and MPHA treat us this way? No!
Please attend the below virtual public hearing and let MPHA know public housing residents deserve equal treatment and access to information. MPHA must be transparent and hold virtual community meetings to explain the 2021 MTW Annual Plan, Section 18 lease, and their new Statement of Policies.
Wednesday, November 18, 2020, 1:30 pm
Join via Zoom: www.is.gd/MPHAHearing2021
or use Zoom Meeting ID: 94001034493
Join via Telephone: (301) 715-8592 | Meeting ID: 94001034493#
Listen-Only Somali Line: (435) 777-2200 | Meeting ID: 4968315
https://mphaonline.org/annual-policy-update/
Please notice above there are no additional language interpretation lines available and on the Somali line, residents who speak Somali can only listen but not allowed to comment.
Sources:
https://www.facebook.com/DefendGlendale/posts/1860252307473951
https://www.facebook.com/DefendGlendale/posts/1909060209259827