HOME Line Proposal City of Minneapolis 2019 Renter Legal Advice, Education and Resources RFP (RFP2019-01) 1) Executive Summary HOME Line proposes to provide free, convenient, and confidential legal advice to Minneapolis renters, primarily over the phone but also via email, and in-person consultation This advice consists of the following: both legal and practical advice about a clients specific situation, review of legal documents (leases, notices, etc.), form letters and assistance with preparing legal/court forms, and referrals to legal service providers as well as a variety of other housing-related resources We expect to serve approximately 3,244 client households in the service period, and are prepared to report on the services provided on a quarterly, half-year, and/or annual basis Please find attached a report for tenant hotline services provided to Minneapolis residents in the calendar year 2018 We estimate the cost for our tenant hotline to serve Minneapolis tenants during the 2019 service year will be $164,114 2) Scope of Services HOME Line’s primary service has been in operation since 1992 is a free and confidential tenant hotline that provides legal advice to renters Tenants in Minneapolis (and statewide) can currently contact our tenant hotline at 612-728-5767, toll-free at 1-866-866-3546, online via email at homelinemn.org/email, or they can schedule an in-person consultation at our office at 3455 Bloomington Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55407 The hotline service is available in the following languages: English, Spanish, Somali, and Hmong Although we have no limitations on incomes of clients, the vast majority of the clients we serve are considered low-, very-low-, or extremely-low-income under HUD guidelines We expect to serve approximately 3,244 Minneapolis client households in the service period The most common issues we advise Minneapolis renters about include: repairs, return of security deposits, eviction prevention, advice about notices and leases, infestations/bed bugs, and privacy intrusions HOME Line already conducts community outreach and provides services using a variety of methods: email, phone, in-person consultations, form letters for tenants, referrals to other service providers, and unique communication with underserved populations using technology our website, social media outlets, etc HOME Line is prepared to report on demographics of client households served, the numbers of tenants receiving services in each language, the topic of advice provided, and what forms of referrals are made if/when we provide referrals to other organizations Based on research completed by a University of Minnesota School of Statistics Ph.D candidate, HOME Line is also able to estimate approximate dollar amount recovered or saved by tenants annually, including returned damage deposits and rent abatements, and on the number of evictions prevented annually HOME Line is prepared to work with the City to identify what information is most useful to report back to City staff and elected officials on a quarterly and annual basis Again, our 2018 report for Minneapolis is attached we are prepared to produce similar reports throughout the service year and can delve into more detail about client demographics, referrals, or other key statistics as requested 3) Experience and Capacity HOME Line Mission HOME Line provides free legal, organizing, educational and advocacy services so tenants throughout Minnesota can solve their own rental housing problems HOME Line works to improve public and private policies relating to rental housing by involving affected tenants in the process HOME Line History HOME Line was established in 1992 at Community Action for Suburban Hennepin (CASH), the antipoverty agency serving Minneapolis' suburbs In 1999, HOME Line became an independent nonprofit corporation We undertook a major expansion of our services statewide in 2001 In 2014, HOME Line began service to renters in Minneapolis, and added Somali and Spanish speaking staff to serve these renters in their native language In late 2018, we added Hmong-language support We now serve the entire state of Minnesota in four languages Our primary program, the tenant hotline, is a free service that provides renters throughout Minnesota with legal information regarding their rights as tenants Lawyers, law students and other trained tenant advocates, both on staff and as volunteers, respond to renter inquiries, providing follow up support and form letters when necessary The hotline has advised over 230,000 clients since 1992 and on average advises over 1,000 clients each month Clients are advised by a team of experienced housing attorneys, tenant advocates, language-specific tenant advocates (Spanish, Somali, Hmong languages), law student interns and community volunteers HOME Line provides renters with the tools necessary to keep their homes safe and affordable These services prevent problems ranging from homelessness to illness from unsafe living conditions, and result in reducing the use of the local emergency resources Many of our clients are considered the “working poor” who may not be eligible for traditional legal aid service but who nonetheless are experiencing issues that impact the quality, livability, and stability of their rental home In 2018, our Tenant Hotline Services advised 3,244 renter households in Minneapolis, helped prevent the eviction of 224 families, and saved these tenants at least $377,994 in recovered damage deposits, rent abatements, and other costs The most common reasons Minneapolis residents contacted our hotline were: repairs, security deposits, and evictions The need for this service in Minneapolis is apparent–residents already rely on this valuable resource and renter households are now a majority of the households in the City of Minneapolis While our services are available to all renters free of charge, in 2018: 85% of our Minneapolis clients had low incomes; 67% of these callers were female; 47% were racial minorities Our programs are aimed at low-income renters HOME Line’s language and cultural access initiative means that renters who speak Somali, Spanish, and Hmong can directly call our tenant advocates in their native languages and receive assistance with their rental problems 4) Reference List HOME Line receives funding from a variety of sources including municipal, county, and state governments, private foundations, individual and client donors, and through limited services and resources that we sell (legal trainings, books on tenant//landlord law for tenants, service providers, and landlords) Below are contacts from two government entities that we currently contract with to provide our tenant hotline services for specific geographies: Minnesota Housing has provided $200,000 per year in resources to support our tenant hotline since 2014 This funding is primarily to cover our services outside of Hennepin and Ramsey Counties Contact: Charissa Osborn Business Operations, Multifamily Division Minnesota Housing 400 Wabasha Street North, Suite 400, St Paul, MN 55102 651.284.3172 charissa.osborn@state.mn.us A variety of Hennepin County cities, as well as the County has provided funding to support HOME Line’s tenant hotline for well over a decade Currently, there is a Consolidated Pool of Hennepin County cities that combine their Community Development Block Grant resources to fund a variety of organizations, including HOME Line For the 2018-2019 program year, the Consolidated Pool is funding HOME Line at $62,100 Contact: Tyler A Moroles, MA Senior Planning Analyst, Community Development Block Grant Program Community Works, Hennepin County Public Works 701 4th Avenue S, Suite 400, Minneapolis, MN 55415 612-348-2670 tyler.moroles@hennepin.us 5) Personnel Listing Below is a list of relevant staff that either oversee HOME Line’s tenant hotline service or work directly with clients on our tenant hotline In addition, HOME Line relies on volunteers and interns to assist clients and perform other duties In 2018, interns and volunteers gave over 2,000 hours of service to support HOME Line’s programs Eric Hauge, Executive Director Eric Hauge is the Executive Director of HOME Line Eric joined HOME Line after obtaining his B.A in Political Science and Peace Studies from Gustavus Adolphus College in 2003, later earning a Masters Degree in Public Policy from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs in 2009 His research at the Humphrey Institute involved analyzing Twin Cities metropolitan regional approaches to affordable housing planning and preservation Mike Vraa, Managing Attorney/Hotline Director Mike manages and oversees all operations of the tenant hotline On staff since 1996 after serving one year as a VISTA volunteer with HOME Line, Mike received his law degree from Boston University in 1995 Matt Eichenlaub, Housing Attorney Matt earned his law degree from Hamline University School of Law in 2005 and became licensed to practice that same year His main area of focus at HOME Line is foreclosures as they relate to tenants and tenant advocacy issues Matt joined HOME Line in April 2008 Samuel Spaid, Housing Attorney/Director of Research Samuel Spaid is a staff attorney with HOME Line since November of 2010 He began volunteering in 2007 and helps train and supervise volunteers, assists with managing HOME Line’s tenant hotline database, and gives frequent presentations on Landlord/Tenant law Pattye Hechter, Housing Attorney Patty works as a half-time attorney for HOME Line She has either volunteered with or worked for HOME Line since 2009 Patty obtained her law degree from the University of Minnesota in 1992 She advised residential landlords for 20 years and therefore has unique insight to advise her residential tenant clients Zeynab Egale, Tenant Advocate (bilingual in Somali/English) Zeynab has worked with Somali renters at HOME Line since 2014 As a student at the University of Minnesota, Zeynab volunteered as an intern for HOME Line in 2012 to conduct outreach to the Somali community She graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2013 with a BA in Global Studies and African and African American studies Eden Fere, Tenant Advocate Eden joined the HOME Line staff as a part-time Tenant Advocate in February 2017, she began as a work study student in July of 2016 She received her BA in Legal Studies and Social Justice from Hamline University in 2018 Steve Rathke, Housing Attorney, Steve began working part time in 2017, after years of volunteering for HOME Line Steve received his law degree in 1971 His past careers include Crow Wing County Attorney and private practice with the Lommen Abdo Law Firm Shelby Simmons, Volunteer Coordinator and Tenant Advocate (bilingual in Spanish/English) Shelby joined the team as a part-time Spanish-speaking Tenant Advocate in June 2017 She attended La Universidad Pública de Navarra in Pamplona, Spain during her junior year in college She received an undergraduate degree in Spanish from The University of Tennessee in 2010 She has worked as an interpreter and translator since 2007 Erik Vegel, Tenant Advocate Erik began working at HOME Line in 2018 as a tenant advocate He has worked in the office on the hotline as a volunteer contributing over 150 hours before beginning work as an advocate here Erik attended both the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities and Hamline University, and graduated with a BA in Legal Studies, and a Paralegal certificate Deb Riebel, Office Manager Deb began working at HOME Line in April 2008 as the Office Coordinator Deb received a degree in Secretarial Sciences from Minneapolis Business College in 1991 Andrea Palumbo, Housing Attorney Andrea joined HOME Line in 2019 Prior to that, she was a volunteer coordinator for Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services, and a staff attorney for the Council on Crime and Justice Andrea graduated from William Mitchell College of Law in 2009 Andrea has advised tenants on their rights regarding eviction proceedings and eviction defenses, and has practiced in the area of eviction expungement, criminal defense and criminal expungement Samantha Vang, Tenant Advocate (bilingual in Hmong/English), Samantha is a Tenant Advocate for HOME Line serving on both the English and Hmong hotlines She is currently a MN State Representative and the first Hmong woman to be elected into the State House Samantha graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College with a BA in Political Science and Communications Studies Samantha is a daughter of refugees and the favorite aunt of her niece and nephew Danielle Slotness, Tenant Advocate Danielle started at HOME Line in 2018 as a work-study student She will receive her BA in Sociology and a Paralegal certificate from Hamline University in 2019 6) Cost/Fees We estimate the cost for our tenant hotline to serve Minneapolis tenants during the 2019 service year will be $164,114 This estimate is based on our 2018 actual volume of clients in Minneapolis (3,244 households), with a projected cost estimate using our 2019 board-approved proposed budget and actual hotline expense breakdowns in 2018 (this includes overhead and combined salaries/benefits) Using this information, we are able to estimate that on average, each hotline client/household interaction costs $50.59 In 2018 we served 3,244 households, and we assume our client volume will be similar during this service year It is our understanding that approximately $125,000 is available for this service year under this RFP We are requesting the full amount to support our hotline services in Minneapolis It is our plan to supplement the amount available under this RFP with additional general operating and program-specific funding received by several private foundations, a portion of our statewide appropriation from the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency, and various earned income from contributions, sales of other services, and other projects These resources are limited and also are designated to support the tenant hotline service to other areas of the Hennepin County and the state of Minnesota A Minneapolis-specific Tenant Hotline budget for 2019 reflecting this is attached We are happy to provide additional budget materials as needed HOME Line’s Tenant Hotline in Minneapolis: 2018 OVERVIEW In 2018, 3,244 Minneapolis renter households, representing 8,110 total renters, called HOME Line’s Tenant Hotline for legal advice to solve their rental problems HIGHLIGHTS Top Ten Reasons For Calls In 2018, HOME Line helped renters from Minneapolis: Recover and/or save an estimated $377,994 which includes damage deposits returned and rent abatements.1 Prevent an estimated 224 evictions Which renters are calling HOME Line? The vast majority (85%) of Minneapolis callers are at or below low-income as defined by H.U.D Very Low 20% Extremely Low 47% Low 18% Moderate 15% Repairs 679 Security Deposit 365 Eviction 314 Notice to Vacate 293 Break Lease 271 Leases 189 Privacy/Intrusion 173 Rental License 126 Infestation 102 10 Roommate Tenant Hotline Calls by Ward 101 260 169 GENDER BREAKDOWN 67% Female 33% Male 421 246 178 255 RACIAL BREAKDOWN 53% Caucasian 33% African American 7% Hispanic 3% Native American 2% Asian Pacific Islander 2% Other 249 277 407 162 115 65 100 Based on research completed by a University of Minnesota School of Statistics Ph.D Candidate HOME Line 2019 Tenant Hotline Budget for the City of Minneapolis Income Foundation Grants McKnight Foundation Hennepin County Bar Foundation Minnesota State Bar Foundation 17,058 853 341 Government Contracts MHFA Hotline City of Minneapolis 14,193 125,000 Other Community Shares Contributions Hotline Training Tenant Rights Book Attorney Fees Interest Income Miscellaneous Income Total Income 512 1,706 2,047 853 1,109 392 51 164,114 3/1/19 Expenses Bank Fees Cleaning/Maintenance/Repairs Court/County Fees Dues & Subscriptions Equipment Health/Dental Insurance Hotline Materials/Equipment/Space Insurance - General Insurance - Workers Comp Insurance - Liability Licenses & Permits Insurance - Life/LTD Disability Mileage/parking/travel Office Supplies Payroll Tax Pension Expense Postage Printing & Reproduction Professional Fees Rent Staff Development Telephone/Internet Tenant Trainings/Meetings/Education Utilities Wages Total Expenses Difference 220 373 88 211 351 10,019 176 149 439 527 351 699 1,581 1,645 12,412 5,345 943 584 1,757 8,648 492 1,757 171 1,318 113,858 164,114