Occupy Homes MN

01/09/2015

We were proud to send Jaymie Kelly as part of a grassroots delegation to meet with FHFA director Mel Watt yesterday. After three years of fighting for policy change at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, we're finally starting to see some important changes--and talking directly to decisionmakers about them. It's time for principal reduction.

01/09/2015

Today Jaymie Kelly met with FHFA director Mel Watt in Washington, D.C. as part of a grassroots coalition with Right To The City Alliance. In an emotional two-hour meeting, homeowners and tenants shared their stories of housing instability and hopes and needs for the future, especially principal reduction to keep people in their homes. We will continue to pressure FHFA for further policy change and look forward to continuing the conversation to keep Jaymie and many others like her in their homes.

12/30/2014

Today, send a holiday message to Mel Watt--tell him we need to start the new year with principal reduction to keep hundreds of thousands of homeowners in their homes! Sign and share.

This holiday season, President Obama and federal housing official Mel Watt can prevent millions of foreclosures with one simple change. Watch the video and sign a holiday card demanding they use principal reduction to . We'll hand deliver the cards at a meeting with Director Watt! http://…

12/22/2014

We made holiday cards for FHFA Director Mel Watt to thank him for allowing families to buy back their homes at fair market value--and ask him to allow principal reduction next. You can send Mel Watt a card at http://www.keepourhomes.us/.

12/06/2014

Truer words were never tweeted. Thanks Chris Rock.

11/26/2014

VICTORY: Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will now allow foreclosed homeowners to buy their homes back at fair market value!

This is a change we've been fighting for since the Cruz home eviction defense in May 2012 and it will apply to 121,000 homeowners nationwide--including, we hope, Jaymie. It's effectively targeted principal reduction. This is a small but significant step in the right direction and comes as a direct result of our ongoing grassroots pressure. We will continue pushing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac for broader principal reduction before homeowners fall into foreclosure in the first place.

Thanks to everyone who has been part of this campaign. This week when our hearts and minds are in Ferguson, please remember that even when it seems impossible, it's true: when we fight, we win.

Fannie and Freddie now allows people who lost their homes to foreclosure to buy back their properties, switching a long-held policy that banned such arrangements.

11/19/2014

Preach!

“I’ve asked about this repeatedly and you’ve said you’d look into allowing Fannie and Freddie to engage in principal reduction; you said it again today,” Warren said. “You’ve been in office for nearly a year now and you haven’t helped a single family, not even one, by agreeing to a principal reduction. So I want to know why this hasn’t been a priority for you. The data are there.”

What started as a dry, lame-duck session hearing on the Federal Housing Finance Agency in the Senate Banking Committee on Wednesday, got heated when U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., went guns blazing after the FHFA director.

11/10/2014

Eight hours and $800 to go! We're thrilled for the opportunity to go to this national convening. Can you help The Wildfire Project meet their goal?

Help the Wildfire Project raise $10K for our 1st national convening!

11/03/2014

, Monday edition: Last Election Day, Sheriff Rich Stanek ordered a 5 a.m. eviction raid on Jaymie Kelly's house. He illegally posted the eviction writ less than 24 hours in advance, and in an outrageous political maneuver made sure it happened on Election Day--a day when Jaymie was on the ballot. Then he had his deputies drag her daughter barefoot across shattered glass from the front door they broke down.

This year, Stanek's up for re-election. Please think about these dirty eviction tactics as you cast your vote. You can read more about the candidates at www.mnnoc.org/sheriff2014.

A Minneapolis mayoral candidate running on the "Stop Foreclosure Now" ballot line said sheriff's deputies tried to evict her from her house Tuesday morning -- Election Day. Around 5 a.m., just hours before polls were to open, Hennepin Co...

10/30/2014

Instead of letting Marcia Iza's family buy back her Chicago home at fair market value, Fannie Mae gave them an extremely inflated price--and instead of negotiating, they're moving to evict. Please sign her petition to support!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3ANYluGaTY&feature=youtu.be Marcia Iza is an immigrant mother from Ecuador who has lived in her home for fourteen years. This is home to her daughter, her daughter’s husband who is active duty military stationed in San Antonio, and her recently born granddaughter. Ms…

10/29/2014

Got questions for the sheriff candidates? Jaymie Kelly does, after Sheriff Stanek violently raided her home last Election Day. She stopped by a community forum last night to ask some hard-hitting questions on evictions. Check out http://www.mnnoc.org/sheriff2014 for more info on the candidates.

Hennepin County Sheriff Candidates Eddie Frizell and Richard Stanek were invited to the Lyndale Neighborhood Association's monthly meeting to speak to the co...

10/25/2014

We were proud to join courageous renters protesting the Apartment Shop this morning. Although they were told their utilities would range from $20-$50/month, their landlord has added a $160/month utility charge to their rent that they never agreed to. He's also been targeting Spanish-speaking renters with threats and refusing to make basic repairs. We're proud to stand with renters fighting for their rights.