Public Safety & Community Wellness Committee Meeting - Oct 22, 2025

The Public Safety and Community Wellness Committee convened on October 22, 2025, to review the "Returning Home Saint Paul" pilot program and discuss the classification of justice-impacted status as a protected class. The meeting featured presentations from the Minnesota Justice Research Center, the Department of Human Rights and Equal Economic Opportunity (HERO), the Justice Equity Coalition, and New Justice Projects. The session focused on evaluating past interventions, understanding current ordinances, and exploring legislative expansions to remove barriers to housing and employment for individuals with criminal histories.

Consent Calendar

• No routine consent calendar items were identified in the transcript; the meeting proceeded directly to substantive agenda items.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Katie (Minnesota Justice Research Center): Presented the evaluation of the "Returning Home Saint Paul" pilot (2020-2022), highlighting that while the program provided housing stability for 6 of 10 residents in St. Paul, financial maintenance of housing remained a significant barrier. She expressed that the program was transformational for participants who secured housing, yet noted that the hypothesis that "housing mitigation funds" would attract new landlords was incorrect; all participating landlords already had prior experience housing individuals with backgrounds.
• Beth Commerce (Department of Human Rights and Equal Economic Opportunity): Provided an informational overview of the city's existing Human Rights Ordinance (Chapter 183). She clarified that the department investigates discrimination in housing, employment, and public accommodations, but Justice Impacted status is not currently a protected class under this chapter.
• Paul Sullivan (ACLU of Minnesota/Justice Equity Coalition): Expressed strong support for designating justice-impacted status as a protected class, citing the success of similar amendments in Minneapolis. He argued that current societal sanctions act as a "second hidden sentence" and advocated for shifting the burden of proof regarding criminal records from applicants to employers/landlords.
• Maurice Ward (Justice Equity Coalition): Stated that the unemployment rate for justice-impacted individuals is 65% at the four-year mark, largely due to these barriers. He emphasized the necessity of protection against arbitrary societal punishments that exceed legal sentencing.
• Alessandra (Twin Cities Resident): Expressed full support for the protected class designation, sharing her personal position that her pending criminal record and subsequent conviction have been obstacles to securing housing and employment despite her qualifications and professional experience. She argued that discrimination based on records perpetuates recidivism and limits life opportunities.
• Neil Rivers (New Justice Projects): Expressed support for the Fair Chance Housing Act, advocating for a legislative framework that places the burden on landlords to justify why a record is relevant, rather than the applicant proving their employability/housability.

Discussion Items

• Returning Home Saint Paul Evaluation:
  • Katie (MNJRC) reported that the pilot housed 12 participants (10 in St. Paul), with 6 remaining housed after one year. However, 40% exited early due to termination or eviction, primarily citing financial instability in maintaining rent. She noted that while the program avoided re-incarceration for 70% of participants, the city did not address the need for ongoing rental assistance, only security deposits and application fees. She recommended shifting resources from landlord risk funds to tenant rental support and expanding participant pipelines beyond a single community partner.
  • Councilmember Coleman questioned the affordability of the units and noted the difficulty in retaining participants due to housing market speed and geographic restrictions. He inquired if the study had tracked unit rent data, which the presenter acknowledged was not analyzed in the current report but could be obtained from Housing Link.
• Justice Impacted Status as a Protected Class:
  • Councilmember Johnson noted the discrepancy between city and state authority, highlighting that Minnesota state statutes impose lifetime bars in specific sectors (e.g., healthcare) that city ordinances cannot override. He expressed support for the concept but noted the need to address state-level preemption to fully realize the benefits of a protected class.
  • Councilmember Coleman voiced strong support for the initiative, framing it as a recovery of dignity and second-class citizenship rights, similar to voting rights restoration. He encouraged coalition partners to continue building community coalitions to drive this change.
  • Paul Sullivan acknowledged the state preemption issue but argued that city-level protection is still necessary to counteract de facto sanctions and that the Minneapolis model serves as a viable benchmark.

Key Outcomes

• Decision to Re-explore Program Continuation: Councilmembers indicated an intent to re-explore the "Returning Home Saint Paul" pilot with department heads (e.g., Office of Financial Empowerment) to determine if the program should continue, specifically considering the recommendations to add ongoing rental assistance and targeted landlord outreach.
• Directive to Explore Legislation: The committee directed staff and members to further explore the possibility of amending Chapter 183 to include "justice-impacted status" as a protected class, while acknowledging the existing limitations imposed by state preemption in sectors like healthcare.
• Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned with a plan to hold the next community meeting in November (canceled due to Thanksgiving week).
• No Votes Taken: No formal votes were recorded in the transcript; the session served as an informational review and discussion to inform future action.