Mountain T.O.P. (Tennessee Outreach Project) is a faith-based nonprofit that offers several programs to “meet the physical, spiritual, social, and emotional needs of all the people [they] encounter” including a food shelf and home repair. They are based in Grundy County, which has a poverty rate of 19.1%. They were interested in starting a new construction program for single family homes that could offer replacement homes for very low-income families.
Shortly after MHP began working with Mountain T.O.P., their longtime Executive Director retired, leaving their Program Director in the interim position. Despite the challenges of the loss of the position, the team was able to accomplish several goals including conducting a Housing Needs Assessment for which a housing advisory group was established and still meets today! MHP also helped to draft a business plan for a single family development program using value gap funding from the Tennessee Housing Development Agency and Federal Home Loan Bank’s AHP funds. Included in that document was a template for construction budgets and a list of general contractors building in the area. Finally, the team identified development opportunities with regional partners, such as South East Tennessee Development (SETD), Better Fi, a local CDFI. In April 2022, Mountain T.O.P. held a Housing Summit for the first time, with more than 25 organizations present, including Tennessee Housing.
Does your region or community need help adding affordable housing to your area?
MHP’s Community Development team and the Prince William Sound Economic Development District (PWSEDD) have recently began the process of collaborating with McKinley Research Group—an Alaska-based research firm—to conduct a regional housing needs assessment for the Prince William Sound region. The district includes cities of Cordova, Valdez, and Whittier, and Native Villages of Eyak and Tatitlek. There is a severe shortage of housing in all of the communities of the region, given the specific challenges around topography and accessibility, cost of construction and materials, and lack of developers and contractors. MHP is providing financial support to help offset the cost of the initial Housing Needs Assessment.
“Each community within the Sound truly has their own unique topographic and economic challenges that make housing development and affordability so critical and also even more difficult.” says Erika Brown, Community Development Manager at MHP and project lead “I am excited to be working with each community to identify the best way to engage and involve their residents throughout this process and come up with strategies to address their housing needs that are as unique as each of the communities themselves.”
Once completed, MHP staff will assist regional partners in development of a housing action plan (HAP), with specific strategies to address housing development needs in each community. MHP will provide remote and in-person technical assistance for this planning by creating engagement tools and supporting outreach strategies such as community surveys, stakeholder interviews, and public town halls hosted during the summer of 2023.
MHP is excited to host the regional workshop: Advancing Housing and Community Development in the Northwest Region of Minnesota on June 8, 2023. It will bring together leaders focused on housing solutions for the region and emphasize specific development opportunities in the region.
Keya Wakpala Woiċaġeyapi will be a living community that nourishes the Siċaŋġu spirit and way of life. Affordable and accessible quality-built homes, centered around a community garden and a multi-use gathering space, with places for people to shop and work and for children to play together, Keya Wakpala is a pathway for the Siċaŋġu Lak̇ota Oyate “to reclaim who they are” near Mission, South Dakota.
From its very beginning, Keya Wakpala has been shaped and guided by community voices speaking what they need and want, including dedicated space for food and agriculture, livelihood, and recreation. The homes will be culturally-relevant, adaptable to all family sizes and generations, with room for future growth. This 600-acre site will eventually incorporate athletic facilities, sports fields, a network of walking, biking and hiking trails, small business incubators, retail, restaurants, as well as many other businesses and amenities.
Recently, a new billboard was unveiled to help promote the project! MHP, a technical assistance provider for the project, was thrilled to have the opportunity to use grant funds to commission two talented Siċaŋġu artists Cas and Sonni, as well as a Lakota graphic design professional to bring the project to life!
Olympic Peninsula Extended Needs Housing (OPEN Housing) spent a snowy 1.5 days in Port Angeles, WA with MHP staff members Barbara Dolan, Devon Pohlman, and Courtney Overby on a site visit to complete a needs assessment; exchanging stories, touring properties, and diving into discussions on priorities for the organization. OPEN was formally incorporated in 2019 and currently offers 14 units for rent at two properties in Sequim and Port Angeles. With a mission to “provide sustainable, secure, affordable housing for people with developmental disabilities and low-income others in a shared and integrated community so all can thrive,” OPEN Housing develops low-income housing for adults with disabilities (and other low-income neuro-typical adults) who are willing and able to live and thrive in a shared housing community.
In the US, nearly 75% of adults experiencing intellectual or developmental disabilities live in their family’s home. On the Olympic Peninsula, that number is closer to 99%. Imagine being an adult who wants to live independently, develop social skills, and learn what it means to contribute to their community with nowhere they can afford to go. Out of every four Americans, one experiences an intellectual or developmental disability. housing adults with disabilities shapes the collective future of all of us.
OPEN Housing applied for technical assistance (TA) through MHP’s online application. MHP technical and financial assistance is tailored to help build the capacity of local housing drivers and promote local housing solutions that address gaps in existing services. A needs assessment site visit is the first step for the MHP team and project partners to meet in person, view properties or sites, and build the foundation for a 24-36 month-long working relationship. MHP assesses whether an organization has the capacity and readiness and aligns with its mission in order to be successful when utilizing MHP programs and funding sources. This time together provides MHP staff with the opportunity to connect with individuals, entities, and partners involved in collaboratively crafting a living work plan. Creating affordable housing and building strong communities is complex work!
From left to right: Devon Pohlman (MHP), Barbara Dolan (MHP), Kimberly Ortloff (OPEN Board President), Lindsey Schromen-Wawrin (Port Angeles City Council) Liza Searles (Executive Director), Courtney Overby (MHP)
As part of the OPEN Housing needs assessment, MHP staff worked closely with the team to identify and prioritize organizational challenges. The project team met and heard from local Port Angeles council member Lindsey Schromen-Wawrin about the approach and systemic barriers to housing that the community-at-large faces. MHP staff also heard directly from Dorine Hunter, a former board of directors’ officer, about the significance of the acronym OPEN as a name that supporters would recognize, and about the extensive network of the mothers of those experiencing disabilities, who founded and sustain the organization’s operations and administrative success. Hearing the stories firsthand, in community, forges meaning and structure, and sets the tone for the rest of the technical assistance engagement.
The assessment revealed that OPEN’s communal single-family home model is well-positioned for organizational sustainability and the future development of new housing for IDD adults. MHP’s work plan with OPEN Housing will include board of director recruitment and training and reviewing existing and creating new policies and procedures. OPEN Housing is excited about an update to the website and a rebranding effort in addition to hiring, staff development, and strategic organizational planning.
MHP’s Community Development team delivers the resources and knowledge needed to create and preserve housing and community assets. We collaborate directly with communities, regions, and organizations across the country to achieve their housing and community development goals. From innovative community planning practices to knowledge of complex federal grants and programs, our expertise helps to create effective — and lasting — collaboration among community leaders.
Does your community need knowledge in housing, community, and/or organizational development? Looking for collaborations and partnerships to bring affordable housing to your community? To learn more, contact Devon Pohlman, Director of Community Development at devon.pohlman [at] mhponline.org.
Part I centered on MHP’s technical assistance work with North Olympic Regional Veterans Housing Network (NORVHN), which involved instilling sound practices, procedures, and policies for the fast-growing organization. MHP facilitated strategic planning and worked to build a solid foundation for the organization. Critically, MHP helped NORVHN restructure its board of directors to a highly functioning body with the capacity to make important connections in the community. Cheri Tinker, Executive Director, shared how this has impacted the veterans that they serve, highlighting the story of veteran David Williams.
Photo: NORVHN client David Williams
Viola, one of the new board members from this process, works in direct service – and because of her relationship with NORVHN, referred David to them. Without that connection, without Viola knowing NORVHN’s unique set of services, David wouldn’t have ever come to them, as on the surface his medical issues made him seem beyond their care.
David, whom Cheri calls, “A quiet, delightful man,” was homeless and had a mountain of health issues. Although he had been clean and sober for 8 years when he came to Sarge’s Place (one of NORVHN’s shelters), he was previously a chronic drug user, which wreaked havoc on his memory and body. He had severe diabetes, which he did not monitor. He was accepted into the shelter and the staff stabilized his medical condition. There he lived for 8 months – concurrent to NORVHN receiving MHP technical assistance with Deputy Director of Community Development Barbara Dolan.
NORVHN built Hobucket House, a permanent, 7-bedroom group home, David was able to move right in. One night he passed away peacefully. When the Chief of Police arrived, himself a combat vet, he noted that although David had only lived at Hobucket House for 3 weeks, he died with “family.”
David had no connection to family or friends – the staff and residents of the organization were it. They serve as the familial unit for many of the residents. NORVHN is often listed as next of kin for these previously homeless vets. In fact, several urns of ashes sit with Cheri at her desk, who honors their memory as part of their program.
Cheri says about David, “It was a beautiful thing that we could support him at the end of his life. He had a comfortable place, he was eating and drinking, he was warm, and he was dry. A man who had lived on the streets for years died with dignity in a comfortable environment with a sense of family. We were able to give someone the compassion of being present with them at the end of their life.”
“Without that connectivity – from the board being expanded and more vibrant, maybe David might not have been in our care.” That’s due to MHP’s technical assistance, which helped “bring truth out from our essence.” “MHP and Barbara helped us to create the foundation. I had the scaffolding, they helped to create the foundation.”
It all began with a Google search. In 2020, with the global pandemic raging, Cheri Tinker felt overwhelmed in her position as Executive Director of the North Olympic Regional Veterans Housing Network (NORVHN), an organization she founded. While NORVHN was experiencing growth, it was all set up on one person’s shoulders. Like many nonprofits, NORVHN evolved from the passion of one individual – in this case, Cheri’s passion was helping homeless vets in her community. But never having run a organization like this before, she built it the only way she knew how. NORVHN’s foundation wasn’t solid, making their important work unsustainable. Cheri turned to an internet search, and stumbled upon MHP. That, she says, was “transformative.”
Once houseless veterans served by Sarge’s Place.
NORVHN works with homeless Veterans of Clallam and Jefferson Counties on the Olympic Penninsula of Washington State, providing emergency shelter and permanent housing for Veterans in Washington State. This includes a 7-unit permanent supportive project built using modular housing, the first of its kind in the State of Washington. They also have a 2-story apartment building in Forks (Sarge’s Place), a second-hand store, a farm, a 4-plex in Port Angeles, and more. At the time Cheri contacted MHP, they had the projects and momentum, what they needed was the structure and support to make it sustainable.
When COVID struck, and NORVHN’s access to grants dried up, they applied for technical assistance with MHP with the goal of making them “whole.” MHP’s work came via the uber capable hands of Deputy Community Development Director Barbara Dolan. Barbara helped Cheri on all of the aspects of an organization that are hidden from the public–the unsexy yet critical work like sound practices, procedures, policies, manuals. She helped streamline their bookkeeping processes, transforming their audits and how grantors viewed their finances. They worked on restructuring the board of directors from elderly Vietnam Vets who didn’t have the capacity to support Cheri’s work, to a highly functioning board who could make important connections in the community. They did strategic planning, succession planning, and built an incredible structure for the organization. As Cheri gushes, “MHP saved our agency—you made it vibrant and healthy again!”
For the past three years, MHP’s Community Development team has been working with the Taos Pueblo Housing Authority to provide technical assistance on multiple fronts, including supporting their mission and helping to create a guide for staff in maintaining compliance. Another collaborative project is the funding and design of a 50+ unit new single-family housing development! Along with Heroda Bikax^e Consulting LLC, MHP brought in Ferguson Pyatt Architects to complete revisions to a site plan for the Spider Rock development needed to accommodate recently discovered cultural artifacts. We’ve provided guidance on potential funding resources, layering and leveraging resources for infrastructure and vertical construction, and assisted in submitting multiple state and federal grants. These units will be the first houses built by the Taos Pueblo Housing Authority in over 30 years. Infrastructure groundbreaking took place on October 28th, with the first units slated to be built in the summer of 2023.
3 Former Taos Pueblo Governors listen to a prayer by a Tribal elder during groundbreaking ceremonies: Gilbert Suazo Sr, Richard Aspenwind, Nelson Cordova. Rick Romancito for the Taos News
Over the upcoming months, MHP will continue to work with the Spider Rock development team to submit more funding requests, assist the TPHA Executive Director in creating a strategy for selecting new homeowners to serve the needs and priorities of the Pueblo while maintaining financial stability, participate in a design charrette and community education event, and set the stage for the next phase of the development of 26 units non-NAHASDA homes (The Native American Housing Assistance and Self Determination Act of 1996). More on the long history of this project was featured in the Taos News.
Barbara Dolan, Deputy Director of Community Development says, “It’s been a privilege to be working with the many devoted staff and leaders from Taos! A lot of hard work, time, and money from a truly committed team is making this project a reality!” It’s one more example of how MHP is working nationwide to live into its mission.
The Central Minnesota Housing Summit was developed in partnership with the Initiative Foundation and Sourcewell. MHP convened regional nonprofits, developers, and housing stakeholders for a peer-to-peer, in-person workshop on regional affordable housing needs and local solutions.
118 people registered from 65 different organizations representing 15 counties and 2 Native Nations!
Tuesday, December 6: Summit Opening Afternoon
Doors open at 3:30, Program at 4 pm. Includes dinner and:
Opening Remarks: Melanie Benjamin, Chief Executive at Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe
Minnesota’s Affordable Housing Needs: An Environmental Scan with Rose Surma, Executive Director, Oasis Central Minnesota; Anne Mavity, Executive Director, MHP
Keynote Address: Heather Worthington, Director of Inclusive Growth, the Center for Economic Inclusion
Optional: Stay over at Mille Lacs Grand Casino Hotel (limited free rooms)
Wednesday, December 7: Summit Programming
Includes breakfast, lunch and:
Opening Remarks by former Minnesota Housing Finance Agency Commissioners Mary Tingerthal, Tingerthal Group, and Tim Marx, Winthrop & Weinstein
Local Housing Solutions: Eric Charpentier, Executive Director of the Brainerd HRA; Dustin Goslin of Mille Lacs Corporate Ventures; Sara Bunn, Workforce Housing & Multifamily Engagement Manager, Minnesota Housing Finance Agency; Barbara Dolan, Deputy Director of Community Development, MHP
2023 Legislative Session Preview and Advocacy: Elizabeth Glidden, MHP, Deputy Director
Housing Development 101: with Deanna Hemmesch, Central Minnesota Housing Partnership and Melissa Wyman, City of Staples
Creating Impactful Partnerships in Affordable Housing Delivery: with John Rocker, Director of Lending, Greater Minnesota Housing Fund; Vicky Kinney, Executive Director, My Neighbor to Love Coalition; Gary Dietrich, GreenStep Coordinator, City of Hackensack, Bill Gray, Stakeholder Relations Director, Minnesota Homeownership Center,
Action! Next Steps for Affordable Housing
MHP provides a high quality and safe experience at all of its events. Our team is taking the necessary precautions as recommended by the CDC. Complimentary masks will be available.
MHP is committed to social, racial, gender, and economic justice and strongly encourages women, veterans, persons with disabilities, and individuals who identify as BIPOC or LGBTQ to participate.
Contact us with event inquiries and continue to check back on this event page as resources will be added as they become available.
MHP’s Emerging Developers Initiative (EDI) held a housing and economic development workshop for NW Minnesota and Tribal Nations in Crookston, MN this week: Where Are All Those Workers Driving in From and Why Can’t They Live Here? For more information on the EDI which supports the emergence and professional development of new housing developers from rural communities and Tribal Nations, contact Donald Googleye, Community Development Manager at [email protected].
Panelists at the EDI Workshop in Crookston, MN
Mark Borseth, Community Development Consultant, City of Thief River Falls;
Karie Kirschbaum, Economic Development Director, City of Crookston;
Anna Sheppard, President, White Earth Tribal and Community College (WETCC);
Mitch Berg, Associate Director of UMC’s Veden Center for Rural Development;
