Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey visits Washington to advocate for federal solutions to homelessness

WASHINGTON — Nearly 50 mayors from across the U.S. were in Washington, D.C. Tuesday advocating for federal solutions to address the housing and homelessness crisis. Among them was Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey.

Frey is part of the bipartisan group of city mayors working with the Biden Administration, the Senate, and the House to fast-track changes to housing policy that will tackle homelessness.

"We are very focused on not just the people that are presently homeless, but the people that would experience homelessness if a single bad thing happened," Frey told WCCO.

Since 2020, the city and Hennepin County have invested over $200 million of pandemic relief funding into housing and homelessness response. Simpson Housing Services, which provides shelter, is expanding and will soon break ground on a new shelter and apartments with additional on-site services.

"We're looking to raise the bar in terms of quality and dignity with a purpose-built facility," explained executive director Steve Horsfield. "No one sleeps on top of each other, no more bunks."

"What we've been able to launch in the past four years has been working for folks," said Danielle Werder, manager of Hennepin County's office to end homelessness. "More people are getting housed, most people are service connected. We've moved more people into housing the last couple of years than we ever have."

But the homeless population is still outpacing the efforts and some of the federal funding is set to end. There's also the encampment issue that's been fueling neighborhood frustration.

"They're not safe for the people living in the encampments, and they're not safe for the surrounding neighbors," Frey said.

The group of mayors is pushing for an expansion of housing vouchers and subsidies for affordable housing to get more people off the streets and provide services to keep them housed.

"We're saying one of the best ways to deal with homelessness is to give people homes," Frey said.

One group particularly impacted by homelessness is those who have served in the U.S. military.

The task force of mayors would like to see an expansion of veteran eligibility for housing vouchers so that veterans don't have to choose between their disability benefits and housing.