When: October 7 · 4:30pm – October 8 · 3:15pm CDT Where: Prairie’s Edge Casino Resort, Granite Falls Who: Participant organizations for Housing Institute 10 for Southwest Minnesota, 2025-2026 What: Established in 2010, the Housing Institute brings together housing leaders and stakeholders to share their experiences, learn best practices, and develop creative solutions for bringing quality affordable housing to their communities.
When: August 12 · 4:30pm – August 13 · 3:15pm CDT Where: Prairie’s Edge Casino Resort Who: Participant organizations for Housing Institute 10 for Southwest Minnesota, 2025-2026 What: Established in 2010, the Housing Institute brings together housing leaders and stakeholders to share their experiences, learn best practices, and develop creative solutions for bringing quality affordable housing to their communities.
Enterprise Community Partners is hosting two days of conversation August 6-7 about Affordable housing development and preservation in Knoxville, Tennessee. This in-person convening is an extension of the Rural Rental Preservation Academy and will focus on policies, funding, and innovative strategies to address rural affordability at the federal, state, and local level. MHP Community Development staff Leah Hall and Jen Oscarson will be presenting on Day One.
Day One’s presentations will be on successful approaches to preserving affordable housing in rural communities across the country, with a particular focus on the preservation of the USDA 515 portfolio. There will be a focus on layering new financing into preservation projects and national policy efforts to support the preservation of the USDA housing portfolio. Day Two will focus on policy, research and programs in the Appalachian region that support affordable housing development and preservation in rural communities. Register by Aug 4, 2025
Dedicated to the professional support of new housing developers from rural communities and Native Nations
MHP’s Emerging Developer Initiative (EDI), a state and privately-funded Initiative, was created to support the emergence and professional development of new housing developers from rural communities throughout Minnesota. The EDI is dedicated to the success of entrepreneurs in the housing development industry, through education, mentorship, peer to peer learning and more.
This free training series increases the knowledge and skills of new, emerging housing developers in rural areas. The curriculum is open to ALL who are interested in learning about housing development at all experience levels.
Interested in Joining Us?
MHP is bringing the Emerging Developer Initiative to Southwest MN this summer! Join us for a 6 month training track followed by 6 months of hands-on learning alongside a developer! Together, we can help increase local housing supply and support individual and community wealth building!
In many rural communities, there’s a significant gap between the supply of affordable housing and the number of people who need it. MHP’s Housing Institute closes that gap through customized curriculum, guided collaboration, and capacity building for a variety of community stakeholders.
Established in 2010, the Housing Institute brings together housing leaders and stakeholders to share their experiences, learn best practices, and develop creative solutions for bringing quality affordable housing to their communities. As a result of the 2025 Housing Institute, 160+ homes will be developed/rehabbed in the Southwest Minnesota region.
For more than a decade, the Institute has shown that engaging stakeholders in truly effective and meaningful partnerships is the key ingredient to completing short-term projects and sustaining long-term relationships that contribute to vibrant rural communities and regions.
Moving beyond individual leadership, the Institute relies on a team model that capitalizes on local expertise and resources. Participants form teams comprised of several entities in a region, often including city, county, HRA and EDA staff as well as other local stakeholders like local businesses and nonprofits, and school and healthcare administrators.
Meeting to gain & share knowledge
To meet the needs of the participants, MHP customizes each Institute’s curriculum. Typical topics include: development process and planning, project financing, data acquisition, communications strategies, policy updates, community engagement, and more. The workshops provide opportunities for teams to learn from experts, and meet up with each other and other teams in the region.
Sustained pursuit of a specific project
Working together over an 18-month period, teams meet regularly to address a specific housing need or challenge in their community. Teams have worked together to pursue a variety of specific projects, including development of housing studies, websites, senior housing, workforce housing, supportive housing, single family rehab, and more.
Creating connections to achieve results
The Institute doesn’t just share knowledge—it creates relationships. In addition to assembling a team of stakeholders committed to a project, the Institute connects those community leaders to funders and developers who can help make it a reality. An MHP staff member also works directly with each team throughout the Institute, helping them maintain momentum and guiding them through the development process.
Check out a map of all of the communities we’ve served through the Housing Institute.
Interested in participating?Contact our Community Development Team: CDinfo [at] mhponline.org
MHP’s Housing Institute is generously supported by:
In March 2024, MHP began working with the Iipay Nation of Santa Ysabel (INSY), part of the Kumeyaay people who have lived in present-day San Diego and Imperial Counties for over 12,000 years. The Iipay Nation of Santa Ysabel Reservation was founded in 1893 and is located in northeastern San Diego County near Santa Ysabel and Julian.
The Santa Ysabel Indian Reservation spans elevations from 3,200 to 5,700 feet and covers a total land area of 15,546 acres (23.4 square miles). However, only 810 acres—less than 6%—are developed. The limited development is primarily due to the rugged and steep terrain, which poses challenges for construction. Additionally, water is not readily available on the reservation. Community members often must pump and transport water from community wells.
The Tribal enrollment totals just over 1,000 individuals, with approximately 211 people residing on the reservation across about 152 households. This remote area lacks a significant economy, leading to considerable economic challenges for the community. The per capita income is $26,407, while the median income stands at $45,000, representing a decrease of 66% compared to the national average. Additionally, around 80% of households are economically disadvantaged, often facing obstacles due to unreliable technology and transportation.
The housing stock on the reservation is mainly composed of manufactured homes due to terrain limitations. The Housing Department, managed by one employee under the tribal administrator and council, oversees about 115 units with under $135,000 in federal assistance from the Indian Housing Block Grant. Many homes need repairs or replacement due to limited maintenance funds.
Despite these challenges, INSY staff are motivated partners with capacity-building efforts. They sought technical assistance from MHP in the areas of Organizational Development, Housing Development, and Physical Planning. MHP and the INSY worked with a contractor to conduct a Physical Conditions Needs Assessment for 50 of the managed units of its existing housing and assisted the tribe with the PRICE grant application, which is aimed at preserving and revitalizing manufactured housing. Leveraging these two items creates a significantly positive impact for tribal members living in the tribe’s housing.
Currently, the INSY and MHP staff are collaborating to bring training for the Tribal Council and senior staff to clarify their roles and responsibilities in January. The purpose of this training is to define the duties, powers, and limitations associated with each position, promoting effective governance and decision-making. This training and guidance aim to establish a strong foundation for governance, ensuring the well-being and prosperity of their tribal community.
Is your community facing a lack of affordable housing? Do you work for an organization that could benefit from enhanced local knowledge, training, and strategic partnerships? MHP is excited to open its application for FREE technical assistance for housing and community development! View MHP’s Request for Technical Assistance (RFTA) Applicationhere.
MHP’s renowned Strengthening Rural Communities Program (funded through an eighth-consecutive Rural Capacity Building award from HUD), delivers technical and financial assistance to rural entities and Native Nations across the country, increasing their capacity to meet current and future housing needs—at no cost to RFTA awardees. By increasing local capacity, we position beneficiaries of the assistance to achieve their unique vision and sustain housing and community development successes long after MHP’s work is complete.
MHP has the expertise to assist with a variety of issues, including housing development, housing program development, organizational development, funding and resource development, and community engagement and outreach. Since 2014, MHP staff provided direct assistance to over 132 beneficiaries through customized and individual workplans; including assistance with 54 community development projects. The result: 577 affordable units are in the development process, with 33 new units completed, and 632 housing units have been rehabbed/preserved.. The assistance also contributed to the success of 41 businesses (including 8 new ones) and boosted their local economies. Read about the impact of this technical assistance in just a few communities here:
Priority is given to organizations currently engaged in housing development as a part of their mission or actively working to build their housing development capacity. MHP also works with such entities as rural housing development organizations (RHDOs), local units of government and political subdivisions, tribal governments and tribal corporate entities, and CHDOs and CDCs. Statewide or state-affiliated entities are not eligible.
Applications are being accepted on a rolling basis. Click here to access the application directly. MHP will follow up within forty-five days to schedule a collaborative review of your application. MHP is an equal opportunity assistance provider and markets its technical assistance program to communities historically facing housing disparities. More information paper copies of all materials are available upon request.
We want to work with you! Please reach out with any questions:
Funding to Empower Rural, Native, and Manufactured Home Communities
MHP has received two transformative grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), totaling more than $22 million. These funds will amplify MHP’s capacity-building work with rural, Native, and manufactured home communities, addressing critical housing and community development challenges.
One, a $20.3 million Preservation and Reinvestment Initiative for Community Enhancement (PRICE) grant, secured in collaboration with Northcountry Cooperative Foundation (NCF), will focus on preserving and revitalizing manufactured housing communities in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and the Dakotas. The other, a $2.3 million award through HUD’s Rural Capacity-Building for Community Development and Affordable Housing Grant program, will fund MHP’s ongoing technical assistance to rural and Native leaders nationwide.
As of December 1, 2024, MHP staff has begun the closeout process for their partnership with the Santo Domingo Tribal Authority (SDTHA). The Santo Domingo Pueblo, known as Khe-wa to its residents, is located between Albuquerque and Santa Fe, along the Rio Grande. Recognized for its rich traditions, many community members still speak Keresan, along with English and some Spanish. With over 5,000 enrolled members, the Pueblo has a variety of departments providing services to its residents.
The SDTHA, established in 1995, focuses on affordable housing development for the community. They aim to provide safe, sustainable, and culturally appropriate housing that supports traditional family values and self-sufficiency. SDTHA has implemented a master plan that integrates affordable housing with economic development and infrastructure improvements.
After facing significant organizational challenges, including management issues and financial shortfalls identified in a 2019 HUD-ONAP monitoring review, along with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, MHP assisted the SDTHA with overhauling its staff and operations. MHP improved the SDTHA’s internal capacity and secured funding for new housing development projects. This support included the creation and updating of internal policies, resolving its monitoring findings with HUD-SWONAP (Southwest Office of Native American Programs), strategic organizational planning, and a Housing Needs Assessment.
Additionally, MHP assisted the SDTHA with grant writing for the Competitive Indian Housing Block Grant (IHBG) using resources from MHP’s Strengthening Rural Communities Grant (SRCG). Although the application scored well, it resulted in a tie with several other applicants and did not receive funding. Fortunately, due to the strong score of the application and overall improvements, the SDTHA is now well-positioned to apply for both the IHBG and the Indian Community Development Block Grant (ICDBG). This will allow them to continue planning for projects that had been on hold due to monitoring issues.
MHP Community Development staff recently visited the Yankton Sioux Housing Authority, as part of their on-going work with the Yankton Sioux Tribal Nation. MHP staff and the project team conducted team building sessions and process mapping to support the Housing Authority as they explore opportunities enhance program operations. Together, the project team toured several vacant properties that they plan to rehabilitate utilizing a recent award of $1M from their Tribal Council for this work. Once rehabilitated, these properties will be home to several local families in need of affordable housing!
