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Committee hears support for statewide tenant hotline; HF1385 laid over after testimony from Homeline and local officials

Minnesota House Housing Finance and Policy Committee · February 25, 2026

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Summary

HF1385 would fund a statewide tenant-education hotline and received testimony from Homeline and municipal and tenant representatives on heavy demand and health-and-safety issues; the committee adopted a DE1 appropriation and laid the bill over for possible inclusion.

Vice Chair Kozlowski presented House File 13,85, which would establish and fund a statewide tenant education hotline. The committee adopted a DE1 amendment providing a one-time $1 million appropriation for fiscal year 2027 to support the hotline through the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency and laid the bill over for possible inclusion.

Eric Hauge, co-executive director of Homeline, described the organization’s statewide legal hotline work and the jump in demand: Homeline advised 20,241 renter households last year and reported a 50% increase in client volume compared to pre-pandemic levels. Hauge told the committee that Homeline’s eviction-prevention project contacted over 47,000 households in the past two years and that January 2026 was Homeline’s busiest month, with more than 2,000 households seeking help.

Local officials and tenants described why a statewide resource matters. Paula Milke, a Falcon Heights city council member, said HomeLine’s bilingual capacity and trainings have been essential for small-city staff and residents. Duluth renter Chloe Holloway described months-long mold and repair problems and said Homeline made the legal system more accessible for tenants.

Sponsor Kozlowski said the hotline would help prevent evictions, assist with habitability issues, and align Minnesota with other states that fund tenant hotlines. The committee laid HF1385 over for further consideration.