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Senate file 2848 would provide $2 million for rental-assistance and eviction prevention to ISROOM
Summary
Senate File 2848 would allocate $2,000,000 in FY2026 to support rental assistance and eviction-prevention services provided by ISROOM, a nonprofit serving immigrant and refugee communities. The bill was laid over for possible inclusion in a future omnibus.
Senate File 2848 was presented to the Minnesota Senate Committee on Housing and Homelessness Prevention with testimony urging $2,000,000 in fiscal year 2026 funding for rental assistance and eviction prevention administered by ISROOM, a nonprofit that serves immigrant and refugee families.
Senator Abler framed the bill as an effort to pay for eviction relief, including payments to landlords, and introduced two testifiers. Ramla (Ramla) Elmi, ISROOM’s director of housing, described a recent case in which her organization reopened an eviction case for a domestic‑violence victim, negotiated a settlement that waived more than $30,000 in alleged rent debt, secured expungement of eviction records and helped the family find new housing.
Mary Turner, chair of ISROOM’s board, spoke in support of Senate File 2848 and described the organization’s culturally specific eviction‑prevention work. Turner said the legislation would allow ISROOM to continue direct rental assistance to landlords on behalf of tenants, provide mediation and legal navigation, and perform culturally responsive outreach. She told the committee the proposal includes reporting requirements to document the number of families served, amounts distributed and outcomes.
Fatima Wali, ISROOM’s CEO, told the committee the organization has approximately 280 people on its waiting list and urged consistent funding rather than intermittent grants. Testimony emphasized barriers faced by immigrant and refugee households—language, limited social supports and unstable employment—and framed eviction prevention as a cost‑effective approach that reduces emergency shelter use.
Senators asked whether funds could be channeled through existing programs rather than creating a new funding stream; proponents said community providers need direct, consistent dollars and offered to provide audits and accountability materials. The committee laid Senate File 2848 over for possible inclusion in a future omnibus; no final appropriation or committee passage occurred during the hearing.
