[0:00] Welcome to the ONS podcast with your [0:03] host Lana Jacobson. [0:05] >> Good morning or afternoon. It's the ONS [0:07] podcast brought to you by our partners [0:09] at Face toface Academy. For those who [0:11] are tuning in for the first time, ONS [0:13] stands for Office of Neighborhood [0:14] Safety. I'm your host, Len Jacobson, and [0:17] I'm part of the ONS team. This podcast [0:19] was created for departments like ours [0:21] and community organizations to connect [0:23] you to alternative public safety [0:24] measures, programs, and your local [0:26] growth and healing opportunities. ONS [0:29] audience to build community you need [0:32] five things. You need neighbors. You [0:34] need food resources. You need safety, [0:38] jobs, and shelter. Today we are talking [0:40] about stability and having a roof over [0:42] your head. I have Rondo Community Land [0:45] Trust with me here. Rondo CLT is an [0:48] organization that offers permanent [0:50] affordable home ownership spaces for [0:52] renters and commercial building [0:54] properties for business owners within [0:57] the Rondo community. With me is Rondo [0:59] CLT's executive director, MKA Griffin. [1:02] MKA, hi. [1:03] >> Hey, how are you? [1:04] >> Good. So, please take 30 seconds and [1:06] tell us about yourself. [1:08] >> Thank you so much for having me today. [1:10] Um, I always like to start this out with [1:12] just saying that I am a humble and uh, [1:15] wonderful daughter of the Rondo, [1:18] historic Rondo community itself. Um, and [1:20] I don't know how many people know about [1:22] the Rondo community, but at one time it [1:25] was uh, the largest uh, African-American [1:27] community in Minnesota. [1:29] >> And uh, so I am almost fourth generation [1:33] there. So, I like always starting and [1:36] kind of starting out with saying that [1:38] over the last 30 years of my career, [1:40] I've spent a majority of that uh working [1:43] in the for-profit and nonprofit sector [1:45] in um development, affordable housing, [1:48] and a myat of other uh different things [1:50] that I think make me a unique bird to be [1:53] able to be the leader at this time at [1:55] Rondo Community Land Trust. [1:57] >> Tell us where you grew up at, like in [1:59] within the Rondo community. I always [2:01] like to say I was a community baby [2:03] because I have so many family members [2:04] that are in [2:05] >> Girl Me too. Y [2:07] >> and so um if anyone's familiar with the [2:11] the corner where Tiger Jacks was, uh we [2:15] had about three family homes there. So [2:17] my grandmother's house is where I grew [2:19] up. [2:19] >> Mhm. [2:20] >> And we would catch the bus on on that [2:22] corner [2:23] >> and uh Tiger Jack would actually like [2:24] make us breakfast in the morning. Um, [2:26] sometimes we we'd be there running [2:28] around Kenny, but I had folks that lived [2:30] on [2:31] >> Marshall, Dayton, Concordia, St. Anthony [2:35] Avenue, uh, Central Avenue, Fuller, and [2:38] Aurora. [2:39] >> Yep. So, you used to ride your bike, get [2:40] on your bike, and ride all [2:42] >> all over. All over. Uh, running around, [2:45] no shoes. I'm [2:46] >> getting Well, you could back then, [2:48] right? [2:48] >> You could. [2:49] >> Now you can't. [2:49] >> No. [2:50] >> Yeah. Now you Yeah, now you can't. Okay, [2:53] I got a few icebreaker questions real [2:55] quick. Like, you have to choose one, [2:58] too. [2:59] >> Okay, even if this doesn't apply to you, [3:01] you just have to choose one. [3:02] >> All right. [3:03] >> Lifetime Movie Network or own? [3:06] >> Ooh. [3:08] And don't just say what you think you're [3:09] supposed to say. I know, right? I don't [3:13] really do either. [3:15] >> You got to choose one, Mike. [3:16] >> Okay. Okay. Okay. [3:18] >> You don't have You don't have any none [3:20] of your none of your channels are [3:21] working. Everything is fuzzy. You don't [3:23] have any books. [3:25] You don't have any records you can play. [3:27] I mean, am I Tyler Perry or am I doing [3:29] the Hallmark? I don't know. I can't [3:32] really answer that. Okay, I'll let I'll [3:34] let you slide with that one. I'll let [3:36] you slide. Okay. New hip-hop or old [3:39] school hip-hop? [3:40] >> Old school hip-hop. [3:41] >> Yes, girl. Kelly, who's your favorite? [3:45] >> No, you know, too many. [3:47] >> I'm gonna go way back. I'm just so happy [3:49] to have somebody on this show that's my [3:51] age. So, I mean, Eric Brackham. Okay. [3:54] >> Uh, we've got LL Cooj. We've got Run [3:57] DMC. We've got, you know, we we we got a [4:01] whole, you know, tribe called Quest. I [4:02] mean, [4:03] >> that's my whole thing. LL. [4:08] Okay. One more. It's Friday night and [4:11] and I like to use the name Diana Ross [4:12] because I don't want to put people on a [4:14] spot or whatever. So, I just I just use [4:15] her as like she's the nuisance. Okay. [4:17] >> Okay. In all my scenarios, it's Friday [4:20] night and Diana Ross has been bugging [4:22] you for the last 3 months to get [4:24] together and go on a double date. But [4:26] her partner gets on your nerves. They [4:28] take too long to order dinner. They talk [4:31] too much. And when he talks, it's always [4:33] about himself. And if he doesn't like [4:35] his food, they will send it back two to [4:38] three times until it's right. What do [4:40] you say? What do you say about meeting [4:42] her for dinner with her partner? [4:44] >> I feel like I'd love to meet you for [4:45] dinner. Why don't we go to like an event [4:49] where we would go to a ball game? I hate [4:52] ball games. So you don't I don't hate [4:54] them. And that's that's not [4:55] >> you don't have to talk. Really? [4:57] >> Exactly. [4:57] >> Yeah. It's just a lot of shouting and [4:59] being like [5:00] >> Yes. I would put my husband next to the [5:01] husband. [5:02] >> Yeah. But your husband doesn't like her [5:04] husband. [5:04] >> Oh, well then I would sit I would sit in [5:08] between and um anytime he would start [5:11] talking about himself, I'd be like, "Oh [5:12] my god, that's so great. Let me tell you [5:13] about my experience doing the same [5:15] thing." Yeah. [5:15] >> And I would just like filibuster like [5:17] Cory Booker did. That's what I that's [5:19] what I do. And then um you know if [5:22] especially if it's a game cuz you [5:23] literally have to go out to go get if [5:26] you want to take it back. Go on ahead. [5:27] You keep doing that two or three times. [5:29] >> And if he did that then he'd be gone all [5:31] the time. How long you have to stand in [5:32] those lines? [5:32] >> You got to stand in those lines. [5:33] Especially at the Twins games. [5:34] >> Exactly. And then I'd like Hey, we have [5:36] some alternative seats over there. So [5:38] when he comes back like we'll just be [5:39] gone. [5:40] >> Oh, okay. That's probably too devious. [5:43] No, it's good advice. It's good advice. [5:46] I'll consider that. A lot of these [5:48] scenarios be my own scenarios if I'm [5:50] being honest. Okay, first question. What [5:53] is Rondo Community Land Trust? Rondo [5:56] Community Land Trust is a nonprofit [5:58] 501c3 and we uh really really work hard [6:03] to provide affordable uh home ownership, [6:06] rental and commercial space [6:09] opportunities for not just the Rondo [6:11] community, but we also serve uh the city [6:13] of St. Paul, Ramsey County, and Dakota [6:15] County. [6:16] >> Okay, that's good to know. That really [6:17] is good to know. Tell us how the [6:19] community land trust program works. I [6:21] will. The Community Land Trust uh has [6:24] been around for well over 60 years. It [6:27] started really in um down south in North [6:29] Carolina. Okay. [6:30] >> And I just I like to just set context [6:32] sometimes um so people can kind of [6:35] understand. The Rondo Community Land [6:37] Trust actually started through when [6:40] people were getting further displaced [6:43] from the I94 and urban renewal and other [6:46] policy construction things that were [6:48] happening in the community [6:50] >> and community members were trying to [6:51] find a way to how do we preserve [6:53] affordable housing in the community and [6:55] they got together did some research and [6:58] landed on the community land trust [7:00] model. [7:00] >> Okay. And so what it does really is in a [7:04] sense we take uh land out of speculative [7:07] use and put it into the hands of the [7:09] community through several ways. One is [7:11] the home ownership [7:13] >> uh way and we actually take um one time [7:16] uh subsidy and and try to make that [7:18] affordable for generations. What we want [7:20] to do is stabilize communities [7:23] >> for generations. Mhm. [7:24] >> And how it works and what I like to call [7:27] the classic uh community land trust [7:29] because we do both residential and [7:31] commercial [7:32] >> which is unique uh across the actually [7:34] United States around the way that we do [7:36] the work in the ways that we do is you [7:39] know we help folks bridge the gap [7:41] between what they can either afford for [7:42] a mortgage whether that's new [7:44] construction or whether it's a a [7:46] strategic acquisition and rehab or [7:48] whether it's something that they buy out [7:50] in the open market. So we bridge the [7:53] gap. So, in the open market situation, [7:55] we have something called our home buy [7:56] initiated program where we pair folks [7:59] with up to um $150,000 of a grant [8:02] >> that they can pair with their mortgage [8:04] to buy anywhere in the Ramsey County, [8:08] Dakota County. [8:09] >> Okay. [8:09] >> And um so we in a sense go into that [8:11] transaction together. [8:13] >> You know, we also want to make sure that [8:14] the homeowner has the ability to I don't [8:17] know like me brought my first house and [8:19] literally the next day my water heater [8:21] went out. that was so expensive. [8:23] >> So, we also pair that with um an [8:26] additional $60 to $70,000 of kind of [8:29] maintenance repairs. So, we go in and [8:31] look at ensuring that the mechanical [8:32] systems are sound. Uh deal with, you [8:34] know, some of those environmental impact [8:36] things like, you know, um [8:38] >> radon and lead, you know, lead and [8:40] asbestos. So, we want to get all that [8:42] stuff, you know, so folks are healthy [8:43] and happy and have the ability to kind [8:45] of not have to worry about their [8:47] plumbing and some of those things going [8:48] out for the first 10 years of their [8:50] their home. if you sell uh and you you [8:53] agree as part of this that you'll also [8:55] pay it forward for communities and so um [8:58] that if you if you sell it [9:00] >> that you agree that you will pass it on [9:02] to another low to moderate income [9:04] homeowner [9:05] >> and that you get all of your investment [9:07] back but then you would really we'd work [9:10] through what is that uh equity if [9:12] there's equity uh we ask that you you [9:14] share that with the next family if you [9:16] move and so you get 25% of any of the [9:18] equity that uh is perceived. So, if [9:20] there's $100,000 of equity, you take [9:23] $25,000 all of your uh investment that [9:25] you put in your mortgage, all of that. [9:28] If you've done any capital repair, you [9:30] know, capital repairs to the the house, [9:33] put a new some new bathrooms in, done [9:35] that, you also get a 100% of what that [9:38] what that uh contributes to the equity. [9:40] So, it's 25% plus 100% any of the [9:43] capital repairs. [9:44] >> Okay? and then you can go on to either [9:46] another community land interest home or, [9:49] you know, go out to the get your 25% [9:52] equity. What we really try to encourage [9:54] people to do is hold your community down [9:56] for for three generations. [9:58] >> Um um we it it acts just like real real [10:02] estate. The homeowner owns the [10:04] improvement that's on top, the home on [10:05] top, and the community through the [10:07] community land trust. The land is land [10:09] trusted. So, we don't sell the land. [10:11] >> Okay? Um, [10:13] >> and that's why it works best to to pay [10:15] it forward. [10:16] >> Yeah. [10:16] >> If you move. [10:17] >> But, you know, my family's been in the [10:20] Rondo community for three generations [10:22] and um my aunt has my grandmother's [10:26] home. [10:26] >> Yeah. [10:26] >> And so, like, [10:28] >> can we do more of that where we are less [10:31] uh demodification of property of homes, [10:35] >> but you still get equity. It still acts [10:37] as as uh real estate. I mean you can [10:40] pass it down to generations. [10:42] >> Yes. Pass it down to generations to [10:43] generations and and so we are really [10:45] really uh working towards that. The [10:47] other thing that we were able to do uh [10:48] these last couple years through some [10:50] through legislation is to get reduced [10:52] property taxes. So that girl. [10:56] >> So, you know, we we support low to [10:59] moderate income homeowners and really uh [11:02] it's it's we want folks to move along [11:05] their own [11:06] >> Yeah. [11:06] >> economic continuum, stabilize them [11:08] themselves. Um you know, we only income [11:11] qualify one time. We believe in [11:13] dignified uh dignified housing, [11:15] dignified labor. And so we really just [11:17] want to do everything that we can to [11:19] encourage folks to like, hey, get your [11:22] community land trust home. If you want [11:23] to be a real estate baron, good. Stay in [11:25] your stay in your home and use some of [11:27] that equity and and go out and buy a [11:31] different piece of property and, you [11:32] know, do that. [11:33] >> This is why we have this show because we [11:35] need everybody to know about this. Like [11:40] I'm low-key getting jealous [11:44] right now because I'm wishing that Yeah. [11:46] Yeah. But I am going to pass this [11:48] information on because the tax thing [11:53] Yeah. [11:54] Yeah. You can deposit your property into [11:57] the community land trust and you know [12:00] maybe sometime your generations might [12:02] want to you know [12:03] >> bring that into a uh you know um way to [12:08] >> give back to the community. Yeah. [12:10] >> Later still get still get equity. [12:13] >> This is really good information. [12:14] >> Still take advantage of our um of our [12:18] >> you know we do post-purchase stewardship [12:21] you know programming. Um, we really [12:23] really really we really want to help [12:25] people understand because some of the [12:27] myths out there around community land [12:28] trust is that uh there's no equity, [12:31] >> you don't get anything. It's [12:33] sharecropping. And I was like uh let me [12:36] be clear about how this started. This [12:38] started through the fact that how dare [12:41] black people want to have the right to [12:42] vote, [12:43] >> right? [12:44] >> And um [12:44] >> you couldn't qualify for loans, [12:46] >> all the things. Um [12:49] >> but it is for everybody. So, we serve [12:50] every every everyone at 80% area median [12:53] income or below. [12:54] >> Okay. In the Ronaldo community or in [12:56] Ramsey County? [12:56] >> Yes. Yes. [12:57] >> Amen. [12:58] >> What are some of the reasons people get [13:00] nervous about buying a home [13:03] >> in general? [13:04] >> In general. Yeah. [13:05] >> Um the expense. [13:07] >> Uh we have clients that only qualify for [13:11] a $75,000 mortgage. [13:14] >> Yeah. [13:14] >> But we are able to help them [13:16] >> figure it out. [13:18] >> Yeah. We have someone on our wait list [13:20] who's a a single mother. She makes [13:22] $44,000 a year [13:24] >> and uh she's currently living with her [13:26] family and friends [13:28] >> because she wants to buy a house. She's [13:31] been qualified for a mortgage. [13:33] >> Yeah. [13:35] >> And yet [13:37] >> there's nothing in the market that would [13:39] be able to help her [13:41] >> except for the work that we we do. [13:43] >> Mhm. I'm just going to throw this in [13:45] there really quick. I think God is [13:46] really really good because I know [13:47] someone who's going through the same [13:48] thing right now and they need to buy a [13:50] house like right now and they're only [13:52] qualified for a certain amount and this [13:55] is something that they could take [13:57] advantage of. So this is doing me a [13:59] whole lot of good today. It really is. [14:01] I'm just realizing that God's like boop [14:03] boop [14:04] caller. Um go ahead. No, [14:07] >> before I got Oh, what are some of the um [14:10] >> reasons people get nervous about buying [14:12] a home? maintenance, [14:14] >> responsibility. If all of you ever, you [14:16] know, you've been a renter, you know, [14:18] you can call your landlord if something [14:19] breaks, but your rent goes up every [14:22] year, you don't know when that [14:27] landlord's going to sell to another [14:28] investor who's going to raise your [14:30] rents. It is a catch22. It it can be [14:33] expensive, but we try to combat a lot of [14:35] those by one, if we purchase a property [14:39] that needs a significant amount of [14:41] rehab. So, we'll do that without a [14:43] homeowner assigned to it. And we'll, you [14:46] know, find strategic acquisitions is [14:48] what we call it. And we'll go in, we'll [14:50] do all the deep rehab that needs to be [14:52] done and levy subsidies and things like [14:54] that to be able to put it back out on [14:55] the market for affordability to one of [14:59] our our clients of someone who would fit [15:01] the profile, you know, of our our [15:02] clients in terms of mortgage and and [15:05] other down payment assistance programs [15:07] that we can use. We also build new [15:09] construction. So, we're in the process [15:11] of getting some new construction homes [15:13] >> hopefully on the market here soon. Okay. [15:15] >> Um, we have partners. We partner with [15:17] other developers. So, we're working on a [15:20] >> 19 about 20 unit townhouse development [15:23] on the east side of St. Paul [15:25] >> with a developer. So, those hopefully [15:27] will will break ground sometime later [15:29] this year. [15:30] >> We've got two other developments that [15:32] we're doing in the Rondo community [15:34] >> that one will break ground this year, [15:36] one hopefully next year. [15:38] >> One I want to back up too. One of the [15:39] things that you said that like [15:41] >> sparked my interest was when you talked [15:43] about that pot of money that you will [15:45] help the homeowner have for like [15:47] maintenance and stuff. [15:49] >> And I was like that's that's amazing [15:50] because a lot of times people get into [15:52] more we all remember buying our first [15:54] home and then something happens. And [15:55] it's like dang this is why I didn't want [15:58] to buy a home, you know? So that is [16:00] that's that's really good. [16:02] >> I literally got on a tangent. I'm sorry. [16:03] I got well away from that. But let me go [16:05] back. I'm sorry. [16:07] You might have to cut some of this [16:10] myth. Sorry. Okay. Uh, maintenance. And [16:12] so, one of the things that again, we're [16:14] getting trying to give them a home [16:16] that's either improved to like the first [16:19] 10 years, we're really looking at those [16:22] major mechanical systems, whether it's [16:23] something we build, [16:25] >> we rehab, or part of our um, owner [16:28] occupied rehab as when they first buy [16:30] that home and get into relationship with [16:32] Rondo CLT. So, that's one thing I think [16:36] uh people are afraid to my credit's not [16:40] good enough or [16:41] >> I don't want anybody to know my business [16:42] or you know those kinds of things. And [16:44] it's just like [16:45] >> we have some really amazing lenders and [16:48] realtors that we work with [16:51] >> um that understand and care and do their [16:55] best to [16:56] >> guide you through the process. [16:58] >> It's like going to the doctor, right? [16:59] It's the doctor. [17:00] >> It is. [17:01] >> You know, the doctor is the doctor. So [17:03] feel comfortable because that's what [17:04] they're there for. So yeah, it's like [17:06] having people that specialize in this [17:07] that have seen it all and they're there [17:10] specifically for these situations. [17:12] >> Exactly. [17:13] >> Tell us about the qualifications for the [17:15] program and what are the eligible [17:17] requirements. We just you have to be uh [17:20] pre-approved for a mortgage and some of [17:23] our programs. And so um but we work with [17:26] you with our mortgage uh folks who are [17:29] and we have other um partners [17:32] >> that come to the table to support our [17:35] clients. [17:35] >> I'm just going to throw a monkey wrench [17:37] in there, too, because so if you need to [17:39] be preapproved, [17:40] >> how long does it typically take from the [17:43] start to finish? cuz you know how those [17:44] loans are, they're like it's like a [17:45] 60-day window to start looking or [17:48] whatever, but you want to go, let's say [17:50] you want to go through Rond CLT. So like [17:53] I got preapproved yesterday and I come [17:54] to you guys today. Like how long would [17:56] it take before I can start actually like [17:58] looking [17:59] >> the requirements that ultimately one [18:01] you'd have to go through a orientation [18:04] because we want to let you know about [18:07] what the community land trust is, what [18:08] our requirements are, [18:10] >> all of those things. We want to educate [18:12] people about to make the best choices [18:14] for their [18:16] >> life and situations. And so we do [18:18] require orientation. We do require [18:22] >> like homeowner classes. [18:23] >> Homeowner home buyer education classes. [18:26] Excuse. Oh my gosh, my going to kill me. [18:27] >> You guys do those classes or [18:29] >> Oh, we partner. [18:30] >> Okay. [18:30] >> We partner with folks and you have to [18:32] income qualify. [18:33] >> Uh and so right now our dollars are [18:37] really around 80% area median income and [18:39] below. So if that's on a sliding scale, [18:41] if you are one a single person, I [18:43] believe it's 68,000. You can't make more [18:46] than 68,000 as a single person, but then [18:48] it goes up more [18:49] >> for uh how many family members that you [18:52] have. So, um, you have to income qualify [18:55] for the Rondo Community Land Trust [18:57] program because we have guidelines. [19:00] >> And then, you know, one of the things we [19:02] are expert in is, you know, all the red [19:04] tape that we have to do and jump through [19:06] hoops in order to get uh the dollars [19:09] released for us to, you know, run our [19:10] programs. Like, we do everything that we [19:12] can to make that seem so seamless and [19:15] and uh easy [19:16] >> for the clients as well. [19:18] >> It does sound easy. Um, and not to age [19:21] myself, but I bought three homes in my [19:22] lifetime. And what you just said sounds [19:25] so much more simpler than the things [19:28] that I and I remember what my in my [19:30] first home buying experience. I remember [19:32] taking that home buyers class and and I [19:35] think that a lot of people don't [19:36] understand that that is important and [19:39] that is awesome that you're able to go [19:41] through CLT and and you guys partner to [19:44] allow people to take that program cuz in [19:45] most cases you have to pay for those [19:47] programs and some banks require you to [19:50] take that class and then you can get a [19:53] lower interest rate if you take that [19:54] class. There are perks to taking that [19:55] class, but I think that the number one [19:58] thing for taking that class is making [20:01] sure you know what you're getting into [20:03] and understanding everything and it [20:05] breaks everything down and it makes it [20:06] so that the process isn't so scary. [20:09] >> That that's the other thing. Is it [20:10] scary? And you know when and you've [20:13] gotten a mortgage loan [20:16] the things that they need [20:18] >> man all the time every two weeks they [20:20] want a refresher. [20:21] >> I know right. Oh, you returned something [20:23] to Target and it showed up on your bank [20:25] account. What was it? [20:27] >> Like, excuse me. [20:28] >> True story. It was like a $12 cap. [20:31] >> Yeah. Isn't that crazy? [20:32] >> Yeah. They want to know everything. [20:34] Everything. [20:35] >> And that's the lender. And it doesn't [20:37] matter what lender it is. And so, we [20:40] also try to ensure that we're with our [20:42] clients. Even if they're called, they're [20:44] scared or like we just encourage, keep [20:46] going, it's going to be okay. Yes, this [20:48] is normal. So, we try to bust a lot of [20:51] those myths and saying this is what you [20:53] you need to do. And [20:55] >> by the way, don't go out and buy [20:56] anything. Don't do anything. [20:58] >> Just just close on this loan. [21:00] >> Yep. [21:02] >> Just sit still. [21:03] >> Sit still for just a moment. And [21:05] education is so important to ensure what [21:07] you're getting on both. So, we do all [21:09] that. And before we close with anyone [21:13] that has a community land that's buying [21:15] a community land trust home, [21:16] >> we also require and we pay for them to [21:19] go take that ground lease. [21:21] >> Mhm. [21:22] >> And hire an attorney. [21:24] >> Oh. [21:24] >> To read through the ground lease [21:27] >> so that they understand [21:29] >> even further. I mean, we go through all [21:30] the education. We're telling them all [21:32] the things about the requirements and [21:34] and all of that, but we also want, you [21:36] know, again, education and choice. And [21:38] so it's just I feel that we really [21:41] really do our do a really great job of [21:43] of educating folks of making sure they [21:46] have legal advice around you know and [21:48] it's letting them know exactly what the [21:50] you know ground leases what the [21:52] requirements are you know all of that [21:54] >> and so that's also a requirement before [21:56] we close on a property that that's [21:58] happened. [21:59] >> Ladies and gentlemen that is [22:00] transparency that thing that you hardly [22:02] ever get. Tell us why you do this and [22:05] what drives your passion for this work. [22:08] >> Yeah, I've been a single mom. [22:12] Speak, girl. Uh, [22:15] and [22:18] I have had [22:20] difficulty trying to find stable housing [22:23] sometimes. I'm talking back in the day [22:25] when like I could get you can get a [22:26] two-bedroom for $400. I'm aing myself. [22:29] Um, I'm passionate about ensuring that [22:33] that there is equity, there's a place [22:35] for rental, but if we don't move people [22:37] from a rental status to at least some [22:39] kind of place where they're actually [22:41] getting equity and they're not paying [22:42] someone else's mortgage all the time and [22:44] being um unstable, that I'm driven by [22:47] the passion of being able to help [22:49] >> to partner with [22:51] >> with community [22:52] >> because in the ways that we do work and [22:56] to be able to stabilize not only [22:58] families But stabilized communities [23:00] >> is really important. That is the best [23:03] wealthb buildinging that we can do for a [23:05] community. And when we when people's [23:08] needs are taken care of, they actually [23:10] have the ability to participate in being [23:12] with their children, their mental health [23:14] improves, [23:15] >> stability. [23:16] >> They have that stability that's [23:18] important to them that they are, [23:20] >> you know, valued, loved, and cared for. [23:23] >> And I always say, you know, people [23:24] first, results will always come. [23:26] >> Yeah. I'm passionate about that and I [23:30] always love telling people it's like one [23:31] of the myths around you don't have any [23:32] equity. We do have equity and you can [23:34] actually refinance some of your equity [23:36] to do things. But if we're able to help [23:38] you quit one of your jobs [23:41] >> or keep that job, that's fine. Do your [23:44] hustle, but invest in yourself. Whether [23:47] that's going back to school, any of [23:50] those things, invest in your children. [23:52] Invest in, you know, your life. And [23:54] invest in the market. take take a 100 [23:56] to, you know, 500 I'm sorry, not $50 to [23:59] $100 a month and invest more in your [24:01] 401k with your job. Go in and get a [24:04] mutual fund. In 20 years, if you take [24:07] the long game, you're going to be worth [24:08] more than your house will ever be. [24:10] >> Yeah. Yeah. I love it. I like your [24:13] answer. Thank you. [24:15] >> What are your goals for the Rondo [24:16] community? I think that was a good segue [24:19] for getting into that. [24:20] >> Awesome. My goals for the Rondo [24:23] community. We want to bring back and [24:26] contribute to the vibrancy [24:29] >> that can be um you know we are doing [24:31] things like uh reopening golden time [24:35] >> cafe in two locations and so one will be [24:38] a restaurant and bar and one will be the [24:40] cafe. [24:41] >> We're providing 30 jobs for the [24:43] community. We are [24:46] >> time is getting a remake. [24:47] >> It's getting a reboot. [24:50] Uh my goal is that we have an even more [24:54] >> thriving community that prizes all [24:57] cultures that are there, but mainly [24:59] foundational Rondo families [25:02] >> with our right to return. We want to [25:04] bring, you know, Rondo families back to [25:06] the community. We want to hold the [25:07] community down. We want to provide a [25:10] place that is uh I always like to say [25:12] accessible excellence. I think I got [25:14] that from my grandma, [25:16] >> my auntie. a place where people are [25:18] thriving and um that there are there's [25:22] opportunity [25:24] >> and again that we're prizing all [25:27] cultures. Again, we're opening Golden [25:29] Time in two locations. Uh we are holding [25:31] down a cultural corridor between Dale [25:34] and Lexington on Selby Avenue as the [25:36] Rondo African-American Arts and Cultural [25:38] Corridor. [25:39] >> Uh we are going to have a big arts [25:40] explosion this year, some murals and [25:43] some some other things happening. And [25:45] what we we really want to be able to be [25:47] a place where people uh come and play. [25:51] >> Yeah. [25:52] >> Stay, learn, and um [25:55] >> and thrive. [25:56] >> And thrive. [25:57] >> Amen. [25:58] >> Yeah. [25:58] >> The city of St. Paul is working to [26:00] rehabilitate, intervene, and provide [26:02] safer neighborhoods. If you or anyone [26:04] you know are thinking about home [26:06] ownership or small business and [26:08] commercial space and like to learn more [26:10] about the Rondo Community Land Trust, [26:12] you can find them at rondoc.org. [26:16] If you'd like to be more involved in [26:18] community government, assisting in [26:20] advisory and recommendations on policies [26:22] and proposed alternative public safety [26:24] projects, the Neighborhood Safety [26:26] Community Council is now accepting [26:28] applications through August. Please [26:30] visit us at stpaul.gov/en gov/s