Poverty Law I: Housing and Government Benefits Law
Fall 2023 - Thursdays 1:25 p.m. to 4:25 p.m. 
University of Minnesota Law School Mondale Hall Room 15
Professors Larry McDonough and Meghan Scully				
Week	Date	First Half	Second Half	
1	9/7	Introduction to Poverty Law
Overview of Class and Materials
Understanding Poverty
Professor Larry McDonough 
Professor Meghan Scully
	The Law of Government Benefits, Measuring Poverty, and Applying for Benefits 
Professor Scully
	
2	9/14	The Law of Government Benefit, Measuring Poverty, and Applying for Benefits, cont., and Social Security Basics
Professor Scully 

Required Listening: 
Trends with Benefits, This American Life, 

Required Reading: 
Supplemental Security 101: A Guide for Advocates, By:
Jenny Chung Mejia, Justice in Aging, March 2018

In-Kind Support and Maintenance (ISM) in the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Program, By Jennifer Kye and Kate Lang for Justice in Aging, April 2018

SSI Exercise and Hypotheticals 
	Food Programs, SNAP
Professor Scully 

Required Reading: 
A Quick Guide to SNAP Eligibility and Benefits, Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, March 3, 2023

Required Listening: 
Busted America's Poverty Myths, On the Media, Episodes 1 & 2

SNAP Exercise and Hypotheticals 

3	9/21	Cash Programs: MFIP
Professor Scully

Required Readings:

The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Block Grant: A Legislative History, Congressional Research Services, Version 20, March 08, 2023 

Required Listening
Busted America's Poverty Myths, On the Media:, Episodes 3 &  4

	Cash Programs: MFIP, continued
Professor Scully

MFIP Household Hypotheticals 	
4	9/28	Cash Programs: MFIP, continued
Professor Scully

5-Year Exercise and Hypotheticals 

	Cash Programs for Adults without Children, GA and MSA
Professor Scully 

GA and MSA Exercise and Hypotheticals  
	
5	10/5	Medical Benefits 
Professor Scully

	Medical Benefits, Continued
Professor Scully

Medical Assistance Exercise and Hypotheticals. 
	
6	10/12	TBA	TBA

Research Problem #1 Handed Out
	
7	10/19	Readability/Plain English Lecture 
Professor Scully 

Research Problem # 1 Due at 1:25 p.m. via email to Professor Scully
	Readability/Plain English Exercises
Professor Scully

8	10/26	Housing Introduction
Professor McDonough

	Housing: Eviction Overview
Professor McDonough

Skim reading
	
9	11/2	Housing: 2023 Legislation

	Housing: Eviction Service Defenses
Professor McDonough

Read service defenses of Answer Form A1 

Skim Residential Eviction Defense and Tenant Claims in Minnesota § VI.C table of contents and text for more information.
	
10	11/9	Housing: Eviction Precondition Defenses
Professor McDonough

Read precondition defenses of Answer Form A1 

Skim Residential Eviction Defense and Tenant Claims in Minnesota § VI.D table of contents and text for more information (except public and subsidized housing).
	Housing: Eviction Rent Defenses
Professor McDonough 

Read rent defenses of Answer Form A1 

Skim Residential Eviction Defense and Tenant Claims in Minnesota § VI.E table of contents and text for more information (except public and subsidized housing).
	
11	11/16	Rescheduled			
	11/20
7:00 p.m.	Housing: Eviction Notice Defenses
Professor McDonough 

Read notice defenses of Answer Form A1 

Skim Residential Eviction Defense and Tenant Claims in Minnesota § VI.F table of contents and text for more information (except public and subsidized housing).

	Housing: Eviction Breach Defenses
Professor McDonough 

Read breach defenses of Answer Form A1 

Skim Residential Eviction Defense and Tenant Claims in Minnesota § VI.G table of contents and text for more information (except public and subsidized housing)
	
12	11/23
	Thanksgiving (No Class)
		
13	11/28	Research Problem #2 Emailed at 1:25 p.m. (no class)
		
13	11/30
	Housing: Eviction Relief, Post Trial Issues and Settlement
Professor McDonough 

Read relief in Answer Form A1 

Skim Residential Eviction Defense and Tenant Claims in Minnesota Chapters VII - IX table of contents and text for more information. 	Housing: Security Deposits
Professor McDonough

Housing: Other Landlord and Tenant Actions

Read the forms for emergency tenant remedies actions, rent escrow actions, and tenant remedies actions and skim Chapter XII §§ B.0-3 table of contents and text for more information. 

	
14	12/5
Tues	Last Class
Professors McDonough and Scully

Complete surveys and provide class feedback

Research Problem # 2 Due at 1:25 p.m. via email to