In 2019, MPHA laid out a series of financial documents that tell the real story of what will happen to the Elliot Twins after RAD privatization (which they call “conversion”). Here is an excerpt from one of their documents (https://tinyurl.com/Elliot-RADConversion-Overview, page 2):
Key Facts:
● The Elliot Twins apartments, located in Minneapolis Ward 6, have been public housing on public land, protected by a Declaration of Trust (DOT), since they were built in 1969
● RAD conversion will eliminate the DOT and privatize the buildings
● There are currently 174 units (87 per building): 50% studios and 50% one-bedrooms
● Current residents are 100% low-income and poor, with the majority being elders/seniors, and disabled residents from East African and African American communities
● The majority of current residents are on a fixed monthly income of $750 from Social Security, which is $9k per year and is below 10% of the current Twin Cities Area Median Income (AMI). They pay 30% of that income ($225 a month) for rent
● 10 additional units will be added after RAD conversion, and out of the resulting 184 units only 19 units (~10%) will be for residents that make 30% AMI ($30k year) or below
● 155 units (~84%) will be for middle-class residents that make 60% AMI ($60k per year)
● 10 units (~5%) will be for wealthier residents that make 61%-80% AMI ($61K-$80k per year)
What Does This Mean?
The new residents that will move into the privatized Elliot Twins will not be public housing residents. These shocking figures show that over 90% of current residents will be displaced once the Elliot Twins are privatized. They do not make enough money to come back. The private subsidiary, Elliot Twins LP, that will take over the property will not be publicly accountable and can screen and discriminate against applicants for the remaining 10% of units available to people making less than 30% AMI.
Who is Responsible?
MPHA and the City of Minneapolis have worked hard for three years to silence and demonize the voices of public housing residents at Elliot Twins and leaders of DG&PHC who were organizing together to stop this privatization and displacement. Mayor Jacob Frey, Abdi Warsame (former CM of Ward 6 and now Director of MPHA), Andrea Jenkins (Ward 8), and the City’s Housing Policy & Development Committee – Cam Gordon (Ward 2), Jeremiah Ellison (Ward 5), Lisa Bender (Ward 10), Lisa Goodman (Ward 7), Kevin Reich (Ward 1) and Jeremy Schroeder (Ward 12) – ALL passed a resolution and Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to privatize Minneapolis public housing starting with Elliot Twins, and they ALL promised that no one would be displaced. Now their promises turned out to be false. They are responsible for over 90% of the current elders and disabled residents of Elliot Twins public housing being displaced from their homes and community as we are facing COVID19 Pandemic. What is their answer to this?
Sources:
https://tinyurl.com/Elliot-RADConversion-Overview