Reflections of the 2013 Legislative Session — May 31, 2013
The 2013 legislative session ended on May 20th and although it was a challenging year in many ways, we were pleased with the work Clare Housing did at the State Capitol. Our priority was to advocate and fight for shrinking dollars in the state so we can provide affordable housing and supportive services that are essential for Clare Housing’s residents.
We approached our work this session with several partners who helped us advocate for resources in housing and supportive services. For the first time we hired a lobbyist, Faegre Baker Daniels. They assisted us in building relationships in St. Paul and helped keep our name in the discussions and debates. We also aligned ourselves with the strong leadership from Care Providers of Minnesota and the Association of Residential Resources in Minnesota (ARRM), representing us and 150 providers who support thousands of people with disabilities.
Clare Housing reached a very special milestone this session by helping to introduce a bill in the Senate and House authored by Jeff Hayden and Raymond Dehn, respectively. The bill would have removed the limit on the percentage of individuals in a building that can receive Home and Community Based Services. Program director Michele Boyer, Midtown nurse Megan Williams, and Midtown resident Rob testified before the committee. Rob testified, “I am 52 years old and HIV-positive. I am too young to live in a nursing home. Clare Midtown provides me with my independence and the support I need when I need it.” The elimination of the 25% restriction is important to Clare Housing because, if it remains in place, we won’t be able to replicate the highly successful programs at Clare Apartments and Midtown.
The bill, which became part of the Health and Human Services [HHS] omnibus bill, contained an exception from future housing projects that receive funding from Housing Opportunities for People Living with HIV/AIDS. Though not the policy change we fought for, it represents a significant short-term victory because we have been awarded HOPWA funding in both of the projects currently under development.
We were also involved in a bill to provide home and community-based service providers reimbursement rates with a 5% increase in various waivers for people with disabilities. A 1% increase effective April 1, 2014 was enacted. Because we have had [effectively] a 16% decrease in rates over the last 5 years, this was a major disappointment. We supported ARRM’s efforts on this initiative and will continue to work with them on obtaining a significant increase next year. Thank you to our friends at ARRM for their leadership in supporting this bill.
There are two other legislative priorities to report on too:
- Restoring a previous $2 million reduction and increase in Minnesota’s Housing Trust Fund. Result: $4.4 million increase. This will provide more resources for rental assistance, operating subsidies and capital funding for affordable housing for low-income households, many who have been homelessness and long-term homelessness.
- Increase funding for Long-Term Homeless Supportive Services. Result: $2 million increase. The Fund will go from $10 million to $12 million and will provide services to individuals, youth and families in supportive housing.
All in all, these discussions and debates are complex and affect thousands of Minnesotans. We were successful in policy work relevant to Clare Housing residents. We built strong relationships with members of the House and Senate. On the last night of the session, Senator Hayden said to our lobbyist, “Clare Housing does great work and I am glad they were there in the chambers to get these discussions on the table.”
Thank you to everyone who made calls, sent emails, and visited with legislators. Your efforts will help us strengthen the resources needed for people living with HIV/AIDS.
The next legislative session starts February 2014, and I know we will be at the Hill to continue advocating. The staff and board of directors will work to mobilize our grass-roots effort and be even more nimble and quick during the 2014 session. And although I will not be working at Clare Housing, I certainly will be calling my legislators when asked.
We made great strides this year in developing our policy presence and scoring legislative success. And, we are in this fight for the long haul – so stay tuned.
If you are interested in serving on the public policy committee or helping us with our advocacy work, please send an email to Elisabeth Loeffler, Development and Communications Director, elisabeth.loeffler@clarehousing.org. We would welcome the help!