City/Town: Golden Valley

Legislative District: House District 43B

Party: Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party

Candidate responses in italics.

Q1: Housing plays a critical role in economic stability, health, and quality of life for individuals and families. However, disparities in housing continue to affect communities of color, people with disabilities, rural communities, and other historically underserved populations. What meaningful actions should be taken to acknowledge, address, and eliminate housing inequities and advance housing opportunities for all Minnesotans?

As a mom, public servant, and scientist, I know firsthand that safe, stable, and affordable housing is the bedrock of public health, strong schools, and thriving communities. When families have a secure roof over their heads, kids do better in the classroom, workers can build generational stability, and our neighborhoods flourish. Yet for too long, systemic barriers have locked communities of color, people with disabilities, rural residents, and immigrant neighbors out of equitable housing opportunities. We cannot accept a status quo that leaves our neighbors behind.

To eliminate these deep disparities, we must lead with evidence-based policy, integrity, and courageous action. That means significantly expanding investments in deeply affordable, accessible, and climate-resilient housing across every corner of Minnesota. We must close the racial homeownership gap by robustly funding down-payment assistance and first-generation buyer programs, while removing restrictive zoning barriers that artificially stifle supply. We also need to protect our renters by strengthening tenant rights, reforming discriminatory screening practices, and investing in emergency assistance to prevent displacement. Real power belongs to the people, and when we organize and stand together across differences, we can ensure every Minnesotan has a safe, dignified place to call home.

Q2: Supportive housing combines affordable housing with support services that help people who face the most complex challenges to live with stability, autonomy, and dignity. Supportive housing provides better outcomes and is fiscally responsible. What will you do to ensure community members who are unhoused or unstably housed receive the support they need to obtain or keep their own homes?

Ensuring unhoused and unstably housed individuals receive the support they need requires a comprehensive, evidence-based approach centered on permanent supportive housing and the Housing First philosophy. To ensure community members can obtain and maintain their own homes, state and local policies must prioritize expanding the capital funding necessary to build, acquire, and preserve deeply affordable, barrier-free supportive housing units tailored to individuals experiencing chronic homelessness, young people transitioning out of foster care, and persons living with disabilities.

Securing safe shelter is only the first step, so we must also guarantee sustainable, dedicated funding for wrap-around supportive services. This means providing resources directly to community-based providers for on-site case management, mental health care, substance use recovery support, and life-skills coaching to help residents remain stably housed over the long term.

Finally, our systems must focus on prevention and accessibility. Streamlining coordinated intake systems will reduce bureaucratic delays and make it easier for individuals and families in crisis to quickly navigate available resources. By expanding emergency rental assistance, strengthening tenant protections, and investing in continuous street outreach, we can prevent evictions before they happen and meet vulnerable community members where they are. Investing in supportive housing not only respects the fundamental human dignity and autonomy of every neighbor, but it also relieves pressure on emergency shelters and healthcare systems while creating healthier, more stable communities for all.

Q3: Homeownership is a way to build generational wealth, provide family and household stability, and support community vibrancy. More and more Minnesotans are priced out of owning a home because of rising housing costs, including purchase price, homeowners’ insurance, and property taxes. What steps will you take to increase opportunities for renters and first-time homebuyers to purchase homes, condos, or cooperative ownership models?

I believe that safe, stable, and affordable housing is a basic human need and the bedrock of strong families and thriving communities. When soaring purchase prices, insurance rates, and property taxes price out working families and first-time buyers, we lose the opportunity to build generational wealth and local stability. As a legislator, I will fight for bold, evidence-based solutions that expand ownership opportunities for renters and everyday Minnesotans.

We must start by tackling the supply shortage through statewide zoning reform, removing outdated barriers to allow missing-middle housing like starter homes, duplexes, triplexes, and townhomes. I will champion robust investments in cooperative housing and community land trust models, which provide innovative, permanently affordable pathways to equity for lower- and middle-income households. Additionally, I will fight to fully fund state housing programs and housing infrastructure bonds to deliver down-payment assistance, expand first-generation homebuyer support, and curb skyrocketing costs for working families. Leadership is about stepping up with courage and accountability. When we organize and build coalitions around practical, people-centered housing policies, we can ensure every Minnesotan has a real stake and a permanent place in our community.

Q4: In the last several years, bipartisan action to streamline building of new homes and apartments has passed in several states, including: allowing for multifamily buildings in select commercial areas, limiting parking requirements, allowing smaller homes on smaller lots, and more homes per lot in residential areas like duplexes, fourplexes, and accessory dwelling units. What reforms do you support to modernize zoning to both enable homes to be more affordable statewide and improve city tax bases?

Our housing policies must reflect real data, climate resilience, and the everyday needs of working families. Outdated, restrictive zoning codes artificially drive up the cost of living, limit housing choice, and hold our communities back. Modernizing our zoning laws across Minnesota is a critical step toward creating affordable, thriving neighborhoods while strengthening local economies.

I support comprehensive statewide reforms that legalize missing-middle housing. Allowing more naturally affordable homes and smaller footprints on smaller lots helps young families and seniors find homes they can afford in the communities they love. We also must modernize land-use regulations by reducing or eliminating burdensome mandatory parking minimums, which drive up construction costs and worsen emissions. In our commercial corridors, allowing multifamily mixed-use development brings life back to underutilized retail centers, revitalizes commercial districts, and broadens the municipal property tax base without overextending city infrastructure.

Smart land-use policy is also climate policy and economic justice. When we encourage walkable, transit-oriented development, we reduce car dependency, improve local air quality, and keep our communities connected. By bringing people together across differences to enact bold, evidence-based zoning modernization, we can lower housing costs, protect our environment, and ensure our cities have the robust tax bases necessary to invest in world-class public schools, parks, and community infrastructure for all Minnesotans.

Q5: Despite housing being the largest cost in the average household budget, housing receives only a small fraction of the total state budget at just 0.3%. A lack of ongoing reliable funding for housing in Minnesota’s state budget has resulted in an undersupply of stable homes affordable to our workforce, our elders, and our families. In recent years, a constitutional amendment for housing, which would dedicate revenues from a sales tax increase to housing, has gained momentum at the legislature. What revenue options will you champion to more adequately meet our need for reliable funding for homes we can afford?

Safe, stable, affordable housing is fundamental to public health, child wellbeing, and the economic vitality of our communities. When our state budget dedicates less than one percent to housing despite it being the largest expense for working families, seniors, and our workforce, our budget simply does not reflect our values. We cannot address our severe housing shortage or create lasting affordability with piecemeal, stopgap funding; we need reliable, long-term, and progressive revenue streams.

I strongly support sustainable funding mechanisms to ensure every Minnesotan has a safe place to call home. A constitutional amendment dedicated to housing allows Minnesotans to directly prioritize housing infrastructure, deeply affordable units, and supportive services for generations to come. In championing dedicated revenue, we must ensure our tax structure remains fair and equitable, pairing broad dedicated options with progressive funding mechanisms—such as corporate tax compliance and higher-end real estate transfer fees—so the cost does not fall disproportionately on the working families who are already struggling the most.

My career has been about using evidence, building diverse coalitions, and holding systems accountable to deliver results for everyday people. Real power belongs to the community, and when we organize and stand together across differences, we can secure the transformative revenue needed to build vibrant, climate-resilient, and truly affordable communities across our entire state.

Q6: If you have other housing policy priorities, especially specific to your district’s housing needs, please share them here.

A central priority for me is connecting housing policy directly to environmental health and climate resilience. Many homes and rental properties across our district are older and in need of critical updates. I support state-backed grants and low-interest loan programs for residential energy efficiency, weatherization, healthy indoor air quality improvements, and the removal of environmental hazards like lead pipes and old insulation. Upgrading our aging housing stock lowers monthly utility bills for working families, keeps long-term seniors stably housed in their neighborhoods, and directly cuts carbon emissions.

Additionally, our district needs a sensible approach to transit-oriented, missing-middle development that supports our local workforce and expands options for young families and aging seniors wishing to downsize. Integrating naturally affordable housing near transit corridors and commercial centers keeps our community walkable, strengthens our local business districts, and broadens our municipal tax base without placing an undue burden on local infrastructure. By leading with science, collaborative problem-solving, and a focus on equity, we can ensure District 43B remains a vibrant, healthy, and accessible community for everyone.