MPHA is pushing RAD at Elliot Twins despite COVID19 and Minnesota’s State of Emergency.

We are in the middle of the COVID19 Pandemic. MPHA announced that its headquarters will be closed and only on-call maintenance and essential services will be opened.  Council Member Cam Gordon has told a concerned constituent that MPHA has paused all RAD and Section 18 activities until the end of  Minnesota’s State of Emergency for COVID 19 is over.  See Cam Gordon’s quote responding to our letter campaign and call to action.  

However, in a letter that Elliot Twins residents received last week from MPHA, it is clear that MPHA is still following through with the RAD Conversion at Elliot Twins during COVID 19 despite the closure of their offices due to COVID19. 

https://tinyurl.com/New-Lease-Signing-Elliot-Twins

In this letter, MPHA says to Elliot Twins residents that: 

• Public housing leases for Elliot Twins will be terminated
• Residents will be required to sign new leases by May 29, 2020
• Residents have until May 18, 2020, to submit comments about the signing of this new lease changes online by email at  ElliotsRAD@mplspha.org.  

MPHA knows Elliot Twins are majority elders/seniors and people with disabilities that don’t have access to computers nor speak read or write English. 

In a previous announcement,  MPHA said they will only be open for essential services, and residents can’t go to their office in downtown to ask questions to leaders. Residents also do not have access to phone numbers of the MPHA Board or the Executive Leaders to ask questions.  

Since MPHA is very responsive on Twitter and FB.  We need MPHA to answers these questions publicly as soon as possible.  

1. Is the RAD Conversion at Elliot Twins an essential service?

2. Why is MPHA pushing a RAD Conversion at Elliot Twins during COVID 19 while there is no public accountability or transparency?  3. Why is MPHA asking Elliot Twins residents to provide comments online and by email only knowing many residents do not have access to computers, and they can’t gather in meetings to express how they feel about this process?4.  Why is that MPHA is not mailing the new RAD Conversion Leases to Elliot Twins residents before they require residents to submit comments via email and online-only?  Why is that Elliot Twins residents have yet to receive a copy of the new RAD Conversion leases MPHA is requiring to be signed by every resident by May 29, 2020?

We would like our elected officials who believe in good governance and public accountability including those who responded to Keep Public Housing Public Minneapolis Coalition letter campaign to also ask the above questions and more to MPHA and respond back.