'We are all just a crisis away': Lawmakers push to fund expanded emergency housing

When the Pathways Home Act passed in 2023, the Legislature appropriated $150 million in one-time funding for emergency shelter facility improvement projects.

It wasn’t nearly enough.

Requests for those funds was more than double the allocation, totaling $375 million, said Matt Traynor, executive director of Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless.

The tide of funding requests underscores the needs of emergency shelter facilities in Minnesota, which faces all-time high rates of homelessness, according to a 2025 point-in-time study from the Homeless Management Information System.

Rep. Heather Keeler (DFL-Moorhead) sponsors HF4736 and HF4737 that would create and fund emergency shelter facility accounts to provide grants for future homelessness projects across the state.

Keeler seeks $47 million to fund acquisition, construction, deferred maintenance, repair and safety, sanitary and accessibility improvement projects in emergency shelter facilities.

Grants would fully fund projects costing up to $1 million, with 40% of projects required to be in Greater Minnesota.

The House Capital Investment Committee took no action on the bills Tuesday.

“The need for more shelters and bed housing units — particularly for youth up to the age of 24 — is at a critical stage,” said Tatyana Haynes, who spent time in The Bridge for Youth homeless shelters.

“I always try to think of that mother that’s trying to take care of their children, trying to provide a safe space to bring them to school, and how can we do that if we don’t have a place to get them off the street,” Red Lake Tribal Secretary Sam Strong said.

Keeler emphasized the bill’s grant structure would increase accessibility in Greater Minnesota.

“It’s a geographic spread on who can get to the Capitol to ask for funds for their projects and it’s hard when we live four- to five-hours away. We knew we have a need and setting it up this way allows Greater Minnesota to have more access.”

In voicing support, Rep. Liz Reyer (DFL-Eagan) spoke about her time spent in homeless shelters. “It was the place of safety where I knew the people were there to support me and my son who was only a baby. … We are all just a crisis away.”