• U.S. Senate Subcommittee Holds Hearing on Rural Housing Programs 

    U.S. Senate Subcommittee Holds Hearing on Rural Housing Programs 

    On Tuesday, September 20, the Senate Banking Committee’s Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development, chaired by U.S. Senator Tina Smith, held a hearing on rural housing issues titled “Examining the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Housing Service: Stakeholder Perspectives.”

    The committee included testimony by Elizabeth Glidden, Deputy Executive Director of MHP, which focused on rural rental housing needs, specifically related to the Section 515 program, and recommended policy solutions.

    MHP Deputy Director Elizabeth Glidden testifies at a US Senate subcommittee chaired by Senator Tina Smith on rural housing issues\
    Click to watch Elizabeth Glidden’s Testimony

    MHP is one of a small number of organizations that have provided technical assistance with grant funds from USDA’s Multifamily Preservation Technical Assistance (MFTA) program, which supports preservation of affordable homes through the transfer of Section 515 properties from current owners to nonprofits or public housing authorities. MHP’s efforts, led by Community Development Manager Jill Henricksen, have helped preserve eighty-two units as affordable properties in Minnesota and Illinois, including securing $18.5 million in funding for preservation. As well, MHP’s research on Section 515 properties in Minnesota has caught the attention of housing advocates, cities and counties, and lawmakers.The Senate committee also featured testimony from Marcia Erickson of GROW South Dakota, Tonya Plummer of Enterprise Community Partners, and David Battany of Guild Mortgage Company. Ms. Plummer’s testimony included advocacy for support of the Native American Rural Homeownership Act (S. 2092, H.R. 6331), a bill endorsed by MHP, would authorizing the USDA Secretary to use $50 million of existing 502 single family housing direct loan appropriations for a national relending program so that Native CDFIs across the country can increase access to affordable home loans in rural Native communities.

    Brian Muhs

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  • Vote Homes: Engaging Candidates in 2022

    Vote Homes: Engaging Candidates in 2022

    A webinar on the importance of candidate engagement during the 2020 election, with a focus on housing. Learn about the 2022 Candidate Questionnaire on Housing Issues, tips for non-profits engaging with candidates, social media engagement, and hosting candidate forums. You can find presentation slides (PDF) here, and a video recording here.

    Brian Muhs

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  • What You Need to Know: Tax Credit Webinar

    What You Need to Know: Tax Credit Webinar

    MHP hosted a virtual learning opportunity on the new MN Affordable Housing Tax Credit (AHTC) on Thursday, July 14, 2022. This new housing tool invests $10 million annually to affordable and workforce housing. Passed in 2021, it will go into effect in 2023. It is the only new and on-going investment in housing development from this legislative biennium. MHP led the effort to enact this program and we want to ensure that as Minnesota Housing designs a program that works.

    This webinar helped inform comments MHP prepares for Minnesota Housing.

    Hear from the bill’s chief author Senator Carla Nelson, Jennifer Henderson the Planning and Housing Development Director from North Dakota Housing Finance Agency, which ran a similar tax credit contribution style program, and Dan Madler from Beyond Shelter who developed multiple projects with ND’s program. 

    Watch the Full Recording: here, and view Presentation slides (PDF): here, Meeting Chat (PDF): here, AHTC Summary: here.

    Jenny Jones

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  • June 14: Join MHP and MCCD for a QAP listening session

    June 14: Join MHP and MCCD for a QAP listening session

    Minnesota Housing, MHP and MCCD are hosting an in-depth engagement session on the to the 2024-2025 Qualified Allocation Plan (QAP) and Self-Scoring Worksheet ​Tuesday, June 14. Minnesota Housing’s Qualified Allocation Plan (QAP) describes how Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (HTC) are distributed to multifamily rental projects.  ​Minnesota Housing will present an overview of proposed changes to the QAP and answer questions.  Participant input will be utilized by Minnesota Housing, as one of several engagement sessions, and will also inform MHP’s comments on the 2022 QAP.

    Summary of the proposed changes can be found here.

    Tuesday, June 14, 2022, 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. CT 

    Zoom link: https://mccdmn-org.zoom.us/j/81376675806

    Meeting ID: 813 7667 5806 

    Dial-in: 312-626-6799 

    Passcode: 81376675806#

    Brian Muhs

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  • OSAH-MN Federal Housing Advocacy Updates & Training

    OSAH-MN Federal Housing Advocacy Updates & Training

    Tuesday, June 14, 10-11:30 am

    Join Minnesota’s Opportunity Starts at Home (OSAH-MN) Campaign to learn what action Congress is taking to support housing justice through resources and policy. You will learn about the OSAH-MN campaign, get updates on what is happening in Washington, DC, and receive training on federal advocacy activities. 

    You can access a recording of this program here, program slides here, and the meeting chat here. 

    Several advocacy actions were recommended by Sarah Saadian of the National Low Income Housing Coalition.  Links referenced during Sarah’s presentation can be found here.

    We invite you to join the Minnesota Chapter of Opportunity Starts at Home!  You can join the campaign here. 

    Additional housing resources include:

    The Minnesota Chapter of Opportunity Starts at Home (OSAH-MN) is a federal advocacy campaign working to meet the housing needs of under-resourced Minnesotans. OSAH-MN is committed to organizing locally and acting at the federal level to secure the resources necessary to ensure that everyone has a home. 

    Brian Muhs

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  • Weekly Action!

    Weekly Action!

    ADVOCACY NEEDED FOR EMERGENCY RENTAL ASSISTANCE

    Legislative leadership has negotiated a “global framework.” Resources for housing are not guaranteed as part of this framework.

    As the legislature heads into its spring break this week (April 11-17), MHP is kicking our advocacy into high gear with weekly actions. The priorities of lawmakers are becoming more clear. While we do not yet see the amount of rental assistance needed proposed by the House, Senate or Governor, we need all advocates to continue fighting for the resources needed to support housing for Minnesotans. 

    Rental assistance increases, spread through a number of House bills, total approximately $59 million, with $49 million of that for resources similar to emergency rental assistance.  

    Please contact your lawmakers to let them know rental assistance is essential to Minnesota families and should be included at the highest levels possible. 

    Call and email Legislative Leaders TODAY

    Taxes Chair Paul Marquart
    Phone: 651-296-6829
    E-mail: [email protected]

    Speaker of the House
    Melissa Hortman
    Phone: 651-296-4280
    E-mail: [email protected]

    Senate Majority Leader Jeremy Miller
    Phone: 651-296-5649
    E-mail: [email protected]

    Suggested message:****My name is __ and I live at [___address & city___]. Please support rental assistance in the state’s supplemental budget, which is desperately needed by Minnesota families across our state. RentHelpMN closed with only a few days notice and we need $330 million to serve qualifying households through June 2022 with this pandemic-related assistance. Evictions are already beginning to skyrocket, with the vast majority avoidable by providing families with assistance to pay the rent, a win-win for housing providers and renters.
     [tell your story – why is this important]. Thank you!*** 

    Jenny Jones

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  • NLIHC: Housing Investments Combat Inflation

    NLIHC: Housing Investments Combat Inflation

    The targeted housing investments in the Build Back Better Act are critical to addressing a central driver of inflation – the rising cost of rent. Housing accounts for at least one third of a household’s budget, making it the single largest component of the consumer price index (CPI), a popular measure of inflation. For 7.6 million households with extremely low incomes – those with incomes below the federal poverty limit or 30% or less of area median income – housing consumes 50% or more of their monthly budget.  

    A $25 billion investment would expand rental assistance to an estimated 300,000 households, protecting these households from the harmful impacts of inflation and preventing housing instability and homelessness.

    Click here to download the National Low Income Housing’s PDF.

    Jenny Jones

  • Advocates and Providers Call for $2 Billion for Housing in 2023 and Housing on the Ballot in 2024.

    Minnesota Housing Partnership (MHP), along with other housing champions, announces the necessity for transformative investments in housing in the 2023 legislative session. $2 billion in 2023 for housing would be an investment in healthy families, children thriving in school, diverse and inclusive communities, jobs and economic competitiveness. Housing is an essential need, and fundamental to a prosperous community.

    With a $17 billion surplus lawmakers have the opportunity to make real progress and reduce housing cost burden, improve the condition of homes, reduce home ownership disparity, and increase stability. In doing so, lawmakers will ensure children and families thrive, workers perform, businesses succeed.

    Housing champions are asking for $2 billion in 2023. That includes: $1 billion to create and save homes, which would build new rental and ownership homes for 8,000 families and ensure 10,000 families can remain in their homes. $1 billion to create access and opportunity to housing would ensure over 137,000 families have the rental assistance to afford safe, quality homes and expand homeownership to roughly 5,000 first generation homeowners.

    All Minnesota should have a safe, secure place to call home. Minnesotans of color, particularly Black, Latino, and Indigenous, are disproportionately harmed by poor housing quality, inequitable policies, and one of the largest homeownership gaps in the nation. Investing in housing will provide stability, choice in rental for low-income renters, and homeownership and wealth-building opportunities for generations to come. 

    “MHP is excited that housing investments are being prioritized, and looks forward to working with the Governor and State legislative leaders to ensure that Minnesota invests in families by investing in housing in 2023.” —Anne Mavity, MHP

    Download the 2 Billion in 2023 one-pager (PDF): here

    Read more on a Constitutional Amendment for housing here.

    Brian Muhs

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  • RentHelpMN Application Portal Closure Leaves Minnesotans in Need

    RentHelpMN Application Portal Closure Leaves Minnesotans in Need

    PRESS STATEMENT ON BEHALF OF THE MINNESOTA ERASE CAMPAIGN

    Minnesota Housing has announced, as of Tuesday January 25, that the deadline for applications to RentHelpMN is January 28, 2022, at 9:00 pm. RentHelpMN is closing due to lack of ongoing funds. We are concerned that RentHelpMN is closed to application as many Minnesotans remain in dire need, in the dead of winter, with a continuing COVID-19 pandemic. We urge the Governor and Legislature to appropriate funds for emergency housing assistance to ensure housing stability for Minnesota families; without continued funding, the number of Minnesotans facing displacement, eviction, and even homelessness will escalate.

    Of note is that RentHelpMN’s closure precedes the planned bi-partisan approved eviction off-ramp, that included protections for renter households from eviction for non-payment of rent until June 1, 2022, as long as they had an application pending at RentHelpMN or similarly-funded local programs. 

    The pandemic has affected Minnesotans disproportionately; while many have felt a strain on health and income, Black, Indigenous, and people of color have suffered the effects of Covid-19 the most. The ERASE campaign urges lawmakers to pass emergency rental assistance as soon as the legislative session begins.

    The abrupt depletion of federal emergency assistance through RentHelpMN, a state program that has assisted tens of thousands of Minnesota households remain stably housed through a pandemic and economic turmoil, underscores the importance of emergency housing assistance for Minnesotans as well as implementing a universal rental assistance program.

    The Minnesota ERASE Campaign (End Rental Arrears and Stop Evictions) is an effort to ensure that the historic aid enacted by Congress reaches the lowest-income and most marginalized renters it is intended to help. Co-conveners of the campaign include ACER (African Career Education Resource); Housing Justice Center, and MHP (Minnesota Housing Partnership).

    African Career Education & Resources, Inc (ACER) is an issue-based African organization working to end disparities within the African immigrant and African heritage community in Minnesota. For over 13 years, ACER has led in advancing equity in our community through organizing, education and advocating for policies that will result in equitable outcomes in our communities. ACER serves as a Field Partner of the RENTHelpMN program to expand access through outreach and navigation support to the most impacted community members in need of rental assistance.

    Housing Justice Center (HJC) is a nonprofit public interest advocacy and legal organization, founded in 1999 as the Housing Preservation Project, whose primary mission is to preserve and expand affordable housing for low-income individuals and families. HJC attorneys work with tenant and advocacy organizations, public and private housing funders, owners, developers, and policy makers in their efforts to protect and expand affordable housing. Based in Minnesota, HJC works nationwide.

    Minnesota Housing Partnership (MHP) expands housing and community development opportunity for those most impacted by economic and racial disparities by leading collaborative work to promote systems change and grow equitable development capacity. For more than 30 years, MHP has accomplished this mission by producing data-informed research, advocating for equitable housing policy, and providing community development services across the US.

    Brian Muhs

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  • MHP Applauds Governor Walz’s Announcement of Bonds for Housing

    MHP Applauds Governor Walz’s Announcement of Bonds for Housing

    Today Governor Walz announced a $2.7 billion infrastructure to support projects across the state. MHP was pleased that the Governor’s announcement included a request for $250 million in housing infrastructure bonds and $60 million in general obligation bonds for public housing.

    “The Governor’s bonding investment proposal for over $300M in housing reflects the recognition that Minnesota thrives when Minnesota families have stable housing,” says Anne Mavity, MHP Executive Director. “We appreciate his leadership in continuing to prioritize housing. We also recognize that if we want every corner of Minnesota to thrive, we need solutions that scale to the demand for housing. When we invest in housing, we invest in Minnesota families and communities and our State’s businesses.”

    MHP appreciates the Governor’s leadership in continuing to prioritize housing. The proposal is a bold start, and much more is needed. 

    RobynLingen

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