Purpose

• The bill provides funding to support a statewide housing mediation program. It aims to help renters, residential rental property owners, and homeowners resolve housing disputes through mediation and related services.

Main provisions and what the bill seeks to accomplish

• Appropriates $2,200,000 in fiscal year 2026 and $2,200,000 in fiscal year 2027 from the general fund to the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency (MHFA) for a grant to Community Mediation Minnesota (CMM).
• CMM will administer a statewide housing mediation program to support renters and rental property owners.
• The program must provide housing dispute resolution services and work to increase awareness and access to these services across the state.
• Services include eviction prevention, mediation, and navigation services to help people find and use resources.
• The program will partner with culturally specific dispute resolution programs to provide training and both virtual and in-person mediation and resolution services.
• It will expand mediation services for seniors and renters with disabilities or illnesses who face housing instability.
• The program aims to increase the diversity and cultural competency of the housing mediator roster.
• It will integrate housing mediation services with navigation and resource connection services.
• The bill requires ongoing development and administration of evaluation tools to design, modify, and replicate effective outcomes and to cover necessary administrative expenses.
• The provisions may also relate to supporting legal assistance and court services programs as part of the overall housing dispute resolution effort.

Significant changes to existing law

• Establishes a dedicated, statewide housing mediation program funded by general fund dollars and administered through MHFA to grant to CMM.
• Expands and formalizes the role of mediation in housing disputes, including eviction prevention, with a statewide outreach and access focus.
• Creates expectations for cultural sensitivity, demographic diversification of mediators, and collaboration with culturally specific dispute resolution programs.
• Integrates mediation with navigation/resource referral systems and supports evaluation to measure program impact.
• Explicitly provides for administrative costs necessary to run the program and its evaluation framework.
• Signals a broader policy shift toward combining mediation, navigation, and access-focused services within housing stability efforts and potentially alongside legal assistance and court services programs.

Relevant Terms - statewide housing mediation program - eviction prevention - mediation - navigation services - culturally specific dispute resolution programs - housing mediator roster - diversity and cultural competency - integration with navigation and resource connection services - Community Mediation Minnesota - Minnesota Housing Finance Agency - general fund appropriation - evaluation tools - administrative expenses - housing dispute resolution services - renters and rental property owners - seniors and renters with disabilities/illnesses