City/Town: Coon Rapids

Legislative District: House District 35B

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?

I would work to increase availability of affordable housing through incentives, subsidies, and changes in law that give those with need for housing first access to homes rather than to investors. Next I would encourage expanding availability of multi-family housing through zoning changes that provide a better mix of single and multi-family developments. Lastly, I would work to strengthen and expand programs that support special groups like veterans, families, victims of violence, and those in need of mental health support.

Addressing these issues would work at the roots of homelessness and ensure that people are put first. The housing crisis is a failure of our society to look after all of our citizens. We have the ability to make substantive changes to address homelessness, and as you indicated in your question we have the political will to make it happen.

It will be my job to listen to the community and especially those with housing insecurities to find workable solutions. I will work to bring people together to put these solutions to action. Groups like MHP, Habitat Minnesota, and OFSAH are wonderful organizations on the front lines of this work and I will work to partner with them to help solve these issues.

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?

I will start by listening both to those with housing insecurities and organizations like yours to determine what barriers exist and how to remove them. Right now, I regularly go out to hear directly from community members. I will also have community engagement sessions, and meetings with different community organizations to gather input.

Currently, I know it is difficult to navigate government programs. We need to streamline our assistance programs so that those who are struggling are not forced to struggle more by having to figure out how to deal with red tape. Our job should be to meet them where they are, not the other way around. We need to trust that people often know what’s best for them and our government should partner with them to get them the support they need.

People are complex and the reasons people find themselves with unstable housing can vary. We know that supporting people as a community not only gives them the resources to find housing again, but it also shows the support that they need to not feel alone in their situation. This support starts with ensuring the basic needs are taken care of. Every person has a right to food, shelter, and security. Taking care of our neighbors is what we do in Minnesota.

I support state funding for supportive housing and zoning reform that allows for more supportive housing. See my bills: HF 2901- https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/94/2025/0/HF/2901/?list=open&body=House and HF 1299- https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/94/2025/0/HF/1299/?list=open&body=House, which has been redrafted to be specific to supportive housing.

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?

Much of what we can do to level the playing field is to have a solid foundation by taking care of food, shelter, health care, child care, education, and security. Making sure the basic needs are met no matter what shows people that the community is always behind them.

Next we should work on reversing the decades of oppression that have occurred. We can offer free or reduced costs for college or technical schools to give equal opportunity to receive greater education. Some of the greatest hurdles are the ones at the beginning of the journey. We can work to give better access to housing through downpayment assistance, and similar programs to help give people a leg up.

Recognizing and helping our neighbors all succeed to their full potential is how we build a better Minnesota for all of us.

I support zoning reform that will allow more housing to be built. Currently we have a housing shortage driving up costs for all types of housing. I also support helping folks with property taxes. See my bill HF 4119 that would have increased both property tax refunds through the Homestead Credit (this did pass) and would have increased the Renters’ Credit (this did not pass).

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?

I fully support the Yes to Homes Coalition and the zoning reform that has been introduced! I will work with partners, organizers, and colleagues to get this passed this year!

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?

We will not be able to fund ourselves out of our housing crisis. We must pass zoning reform in order to attempt to fix the housing supply issue. However, I absolutely still do support funding for affordable housing. I would support your proposed revenue increase and I would be interested to hear about other options you have considered. Please see my bill HF 4234 https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/94/2026/0/HF/4234/?list=open&body=House which passed last session and will help allow more affordable housing to be built.

Showing political support for continuous funding for housing along with other programs shows our communities that the government can work for them and that the community that puts that government in place will take care to lift up those in need. Together we can build a better community for all and I look forward to working with you in the future.

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

I support a housing first model, I support funding for housing, and I support zoning reform. I am a willing partner with you.