Faribault’s City Council tried ignoring an eviction crisis. Faribault neighbors didn't let them.
This is Part 3 of a 5-part article series drawn from my March Fireside Chat. Listen to the full fireside chat at samuelftemple.com/twoeconomies
In February, I asked the Faribault Mayor and City Council to prioritize economic stability for everyday people. The Community Action Center had asked the City to help meet the current demand for rental assistance. The City Council is sitting on dollars already saved to help people who can't pay their rent through no fault of their own. This money came from the state. It is not money that the City has raised through taxes, nor would it add to future tax burden. The CAC asked the City Council to open up $50,000 of that fund to help people who have chosen not to leave their homes because of ICE, have chosen not to go to work, and now can't make their rent. The need could be filled with $50,000 of state funds already earmarked for housing efforts exactly like this. The City Council did not have any other plans in place for that money. Many families in Faribault faced imminent eviction because they have not been able to work in the climate created by ICE and Border Patrol. We are talking about U.S. Citizens here.
On February 6th, the CAC had just over 100 requests for financial assistance. By February 17th — the night of the Council meeting — that number had risen to more than 250 countywide.
The economic impact is real and it is measurable. The CAC estimated the local economy lost over a quarter of a million dollars in just sixty days due to ICE activity. And that does not include overtime costs for employers, production slowdowns, or school enrollment volatility. When families lose housing, employers lose workers. Businesses lose customers. Taxpayers absorb higher costs.
This was not a question of federal immigration policy. It was a question of public safety, economic stability, and whether we are willing to prioritize everyday people.
Not only did the Mayor and City Council deny this funding request — they refused to even put it up for a vote. Only one Council member spoke up in favor of funding. I encourage anyone who has not seen it to watch the recording of the February 17th Council meeting or read the Faribault Daily News coverage. From my reading, the arguments against the funding lacked coherent logic. Some statements I found genuinely shocking.
Let me say this plainly: the decision from the majority of Faribault City Councilors will hurt people. It will cause real harm. The City had the power to reduce suffering for families, for children, and chose not to. It would have cost them nothing — no burden to their budget, no impact on future spending. All that was required to keep people off the streets was a simple nod of the head. All but one refused.
But there are folks who did not refuse the call to step up. The Faribault Housing and Redevelopment Authority is another City body made up of appointed community members and two Council representatives. Their decisions do not need to be approved by the City Council. The HRA has its own budget. So several HRA members, after watching the Council’s inaction, asked to consider the CAC’s request themselves. The HRA didn’t have access to the state money that the Council has left sitting there, but they did have enough in their own budget to fulfill the request.
On March 9th, the Faribault HRA voted 5 to 2 to approve the funding from their own general fund. The two votes against were cast by the City Council representatives.
The community kept showing up. Eventually, a group of public servants willing to act on the facts made a decision that reflects our community values. The HRA--made up of people who I know are ideologically conservative, progressive, and all over the map--prioritized working class people in their moment of need. They saw that mass evictions would hurt the entire community and took action to prevent it.
That is exactly the kind of organizing this community needs more of and it is the kind I am working to support. If you want to stay connected to local actions and updates, sign up at samuelftemple.com. If you'd like to get involved directly, reach out through the website. Community organizers need backing from their neighbors-- not just at the meeting where the vote happens, but before and after.
— Sam Temple
