>> ERIC: THE LACK OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN THE STATE HAS LAWMAKERS FROM ACROSS THE AISLE AND A VARIETY OF INTEREST GROUPS COMING TOGETHER AT THE CAPITOL.

REPORTER MARY LAHAMMER SHOWS US WHO'S JOINING FORCES AND WHY, AFTER A BILLION-DOLLAR INVESTMENT LAST SESSION.

>> IT'S TIME TO GET TO WORK!

[ Cheers and applause ] >> Mary: HOUSING IS TAKING CENTER STAGE AT THE CAPITOL THIS YEAR.

>> WE WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT WE ARE UNITED TOGETHER IN MAKING SURE THAT UR FUTURE STARTS AT HOME.

[ Cheers and applause ] >> SO WE HAD A PRETTY GOOD YEAR FOR HOUSING LAST YEAR, RIGHT?

WE DID $1 BILLION IN AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN OUR BUDGET LAST YEAR.

>> Mary: AFTER RECORD FUNDING LAST SESSION WITH A SURPLUS THAT'S NOW NEARLY GONE, SEVERAL NEW INITIATIVES ARE FOCUSING ON POLICY CHANGES TO SOLVE THE HOUSING CRISIS, ONE HAS BIPARTISAN SUPPORT AND A POLITICAL ODD COUPLE BACKING IT.

HOW UNUSUAL IS THIS BIPARTISAN GATHERING TODAY?

>> I WOULD SAY THAT HOUSING IS NOT A PARTISAN ISSUE.

SOMETIMES IT HAS BEEN.

BUT NOT TODAY.

NOW IS THE TIME TO ADDRESS OUR HOUSING SHORTAGE.

AND WHETHER YOU'RE A DEMOCRAT OR A REPUBLICAN, I THINK YOU'RE HEARING FROM MINNESOTANS THAT SAY, I CAN'T AFFORD A HOME.

>> I THINK THAT WE START OFF SMALL AND BUILD INTO SOMETHING POSSIBLY BIGGER, BUT AT THE VERY BASE OF ALL OF IT IS, YOU KNOW, I WANT MY CHILDREN AND MAYBE YOUR CHILD ONE DAY COMES HOME TO BUY A HOME IN THE COMMUNITY THEY GREW UP IN.

WE NEED TO MAKE IT A LITTLE EASIER.

>> I THINK THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS THAT LEGISLATORS FROM ALL OVER THE STATE KNOW THAT WE NEED MORE HOUSING.

>> Mary: DOES IT SPEAK TO HOW BAD THE CRISIS IS THEN AND THIS ISSUE -- THE LEAGUE OF MINNESOTA CITIES OPPOSES THE BIPARTISAN BILL SAYING IT WOULD UNDER MINE THE ABILITY OF CITIES TO MAKE THEIR OWN DECISIONS ABOUT AND THENNING AND LAND USE.

>> THIS IS NOT AN ANTI--CITY BILL.

WHAT WE'RE SAYING IS, PLEASE COME AND WORK WITH US, BECAUSE IT IS THAT IMPORTANT.

>> TO UNLOCK A TRULY AFFORDABLE STARTER HOME, WE NEED TO BUILD THINGS LIKE DUPLEXES, SINGLE LEVEL TOWN HOMES, COTTAGE HOUSING, THOSE TYPES OF HOUSING THAT ARE EMERGING AS OUR BEST PATH, N MOST CITIES THEY REALLY AREN'T BEING BUILT AND OFTEN ARE EXPRESSLY PROHIBITED IN BEING BUILT.

>> Mary: THERE'S ALSO A COALITION OF NON-PROFITS TO TALK HOE HOLISTICALLY.

>> WE'RE ALL SO FROANT.

BUT YET WE ALL BELIEVE THAT E HUMAN BEING DESERVES SAFE, STABLE, AND AFFORDABLE PLACE TO CALL HOME.

>> Mary: THEY'RE SEEKING $500 MILLION IN BONDING, WHICH MAY BE THE ONLY NEW FUNDING THAT GETS OUT OF THIS LEGISLATURE.

>> SHOW US THE MONEY!

SHOW US THE MONEY!

>> YOU DID A RECORD BILLION-DOLLAR INVESTMENT LAST SESSION.

THERE'S STILL MORE TO DO AND MORE ON THE POLICY SIDE IT SOWNES LIKE?

>> WHEN WE REALLY DISINVESTED IN HOUSING FOR DECADES, EVEN A BILLION-DOLLAR INVESTMENT ISN'T GOING TO CHANGE THINGS OVERNIEGHT.

AND STILL IN THIS STATE, MORE THAN 600,000 MINNESOTANS ARE COST BURDENED.

>> THIS THIS ISHAVE I VERY FREE MARKET BILL.

AND I VOTED AGAINST THAT COMPONENT UTILITY OF UTILITY BUT THIS IS A POLICY BILL.

>> Mary: THE AVERAGE AGE OF HOME OWNERSHIP IS NOW 36 YEARS OLD.

THAT'S THE HIGHEST NUMBER IN HISTORY AND IT SHOT UP DRAMATICALLY AND QUICKLY.

>> STUDENT DEBT MOUNTS.

THE PRICE OF HOUSES ARE GETTING LARGER AND LARGER.

>> Mary: AND REDLINING, WE'RE STILL REALLY LEARNING THE EFFECTS IN THE STATEWIDE NATURE.

WE DID A REVEALING DOCUMENTARY ON HOW STATEWIDE PERVASIVE REDLINING WAS AND THAT THOSE COVENANTS WERE STILL ON THE BOOKS TODAY.

>> THAT IS THE LEGACY OF WHY WE'RE HERE AND WHY WE HAVE THESE DEEP RACIAL GAPS IN HOME OWNERSHIP.

WE STILL HAVE ODERN DAY REDLINING THAT'S OCCURRING BY SOME LOCAL RULES THAT REALLY PREVENT FOLK FRIEZE ENTERING HOME OWNERSHIP AT AN AFFORDABLE LEVEL.

THERE'S SOME CITIES THAT RULES THAT SAY THAT EVERY HOME HAS TO HAVE A THREE-CAR IMARNLG.

>> I LEARNED THAT NO ONE IS IMMUNE TO HOUSING INSTABILITY AND ULTIMATELY HOMELESSNESS.

>> OMETIMES, I COULD BARELY AFFORD FOOD.

OR A HOTEL.

>> Mary: TO START WITH HOME GROUP IS INTERESTED IN A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT AS WELL, ANTICIPATING THE E.R.A.

WILL GET ON THE BALLOT, DRIVING LIKE-MINDED VOTERS.

LAWMAKERS WILL WAIT FOR THE UPDATED ECONOMIC FORECAST BEFORE ADDING DOLLARS THAT COULD DIVIDE THE BIPARTISAN SUPPORT FROM DIFFERENT PARTIESND DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE STATE.

>> THIS IS AN URBAN, SUBURBAN, RURAL PROBLEM?

>> THIS IS A STATEWIDE PROBLEM.

HOUSING AFFORDABILITY IS A CRISIS ALL ACROSS THE STATE, ONE THING'S CLEAR EVERYWHERE, WE'RE NOT BUILDING ENOUGH HOMES, ESPECIALLY THE KINDS OF HOMES THAT MINNESOTANS WANT.

>> I THINK OF ONE COMMUNITY I REPRESENT, THEY BUILT A LOT OF