A Minneapolis City Council committee voted Tuesday to temporarily double the city’s required pre-eviction notice from 30 to 60 days, capping a six hour public hearing that drew nearly 80 residents. Supporters told council members that mutual aid networks and faith groups have been scrambling to raise cash to cover rent for immigrant neighbors, arguing that an extra month could keep families out of housing court a little longer. Opponents, including several affordable housing providers, warned that stretching the timeline without additional rental assistance might simply grow tenants’ debt and ultimately result in more evictions.
The Committee of the Whole approved the temporary ordinance 7-5, with one member abstaining, and forwarded it to the full Council for a final vote on Thursday, March 5. During the hearing, organizers and residents testified that 124 mutual aid organizers have distributed millions of dollars to keep people housed, while 13 housing nonprofits signed a letter urging rejection of the measure and housing providers cautioned that more time without new money in the system could be harmful. Mayor Jacob Frey’s office declined to indicate his position after the committee vote, according to Star Tribune.
City tallies widespread harm from the surge
City officials say a review of Operation Metro Surge has documented severe community and economic fallout. A preliminary assessment estimates at least $203.1 million in losses in a single month and identifies roughly 76,000 residents who need immediate assistance. The assessment notes rising demand for food and housing support and warns that eviction impacts are still being tallied because court filings typically lag behind lost wages and the ways people scramble for temporary shelter. The City of Minneapolis is calling for additional federal, state and philanthropic support to meet the scale of need, according to City of Minneapolis.
Mutual aid says it's covering gaps — for now
Speakers at City Hall described neighborhood networks, houses of worship and smaller mutual aid collectives moving money quickly to keep landlords paid and tenants in place, testimony organizers said has translated into thousands of people staying housed. Council testimony included claims that 124 organizers have distributed more than $6,000,000 to keep over 5,000 people in their homes, that a synagogue raised and distributed more than $1,000,000 in the past month, and that the group Neighbors Helping Neighbors has sent more than $500,000 to hundreds of families. “We are your voters,” poet Sagirah Shahid told the council, explaining that mutual aid had kept her from eviction, according to Neighbors Helping Neighbors.
Officials say one-time pots can't meet the need
City and county officials have scrambled to bolster formal programs alongside the grassroots efforts. The City of Minneapolis allocated $1,000,000 earlier this month to shore up Hennepin County’s rental-assistance program, and the county’s 2026 emergency rent assistance budget is set at roughly $9.6 million. Advocates caution that, even with those funds, the scale of missed wages and rising rent debt, which local researchers and agencies describe as large and growing, is expected to outstrip what short-term allocations can cover. Those program details are outlined by Hennepin County.
What comes next
The ordinance was introduced for a first reading in February and sent to the Committee of the Whole for a March 3 public hearing. With the committee’s approval, the proposal now heads to the full Council agenda for Thursday, March 5. If the Council signs off on the temporary extension, the measure would then go to the mayor’s desk and could temporarily change filing timelines for eviction cases across the city. The ordinance introduction and meeting schedule are recorded in the City’s legislative system at City of Minneapolis.
