MHP Connect

New program seeks to make homeownership accessible for more Becker County residents

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Created: Wednesday, 03 April 2019 13:59

Written by Laura Proescholdt

Say you work at a school in Becker County, Minnesota. A single parent, there’s nothing you’d love more than to own a home and provide a stable place for your daughter to grow up. But for years, homeownership has felt out of reach despite working full time.

A new program may help you achieve your goal of homeownership: Home Ownership for Me (HOMe). Administered by Midwest Minnesota Community Development Corporation, the program provides zero-interest down payment loans to qualifying individuals and families who work in Becker County and want to live there, too. Payments on the loan are deferred until the home is sold or the term of the first mortgage is complete. The program is a “revolving fund” because funds used to repay the loan are returned to the loan pool to help another family secure a home later on.

A team of local leaders advanced the idea for the HOMe program through MHP’s Housing Institute, an 18-month program that provides capacity building to three teams as they pursue a project that positively impacts affordable housing in their respective regions.

Photo: Members of the Detroit Lakes Housing Institute Team at a meeting in 2018

Read more: New program seeks to make homeownership accessible for more Becker County residents

Session Scoop: Omnibus bills: What's in and what's out?

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Created: Friday, 29 March 2019 11:06

Written by Elizabeth Glidden and Libby Murphy, MHP Policy Team

We're now past the second legislative deadline at the Capitol, meaning that bills that advanced in the House, for example, must also have advanced in the Senate (or vice versa). (There are some exceptions to this rule.) 

Omnibus bills (one large bill made up of many smaller bills) are coming together fast in House and Senate Committees. For example, this week, the House Housing Finance and Policy Division passed out of committee their housing policy omnibus bill (HF 2542). This article from Session Daily provides an overview of the bill, which emphasizes renter protections.

The House is green lighting bills perceived as less controversial for floor votes, such as HF 495 (Noor), which seeks to even the playing field between landlords and tenants and make leases clearer. The bill is set to be heard on the House floor on Monday, April 1. 

Read more: Session Scoop: Omnibus bills: What's in and what's out?

Session Scoop: House hearing housing bills at a furious pace. In the Senate, not so much.

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Created: Friday, 22 March 2019 09:56

Written by Elizabeth Glidden and Libby Murphy, MHP Policy Team

Sometimes things slow down after a major deadline. Not this session. Now that the March 15 deadline has passed, the House continues to hear housing bills at a furious pace. In the Senate, however, few have been heard.  

Photo: Advocates and legislators at recent meetings on affordable housing. See below for more!

On Thursday March 21, the Senate Taxes Committee heard testimony on the Affordable #HousingTaxCredit (HF 1156 | SF 404). Sen. Mark Johnson (R-East Grand Forks), a bill co-author and one of its most key supporters, attended the hearing to show his support. Thank you to our testifiers Steve Borchardt (Rochester Area Foundation) and Julie Wischnack (Community Development Director, City of Minnetonka)!  

Upcoming Hearings 

On March 27, the House Housing Finance and Policy Division will hear several important bills including a state match for local housing trust funds (HF 1402) and the Homes for All package bill that includes Homes for All-endorsed appropriations requests for Minnesota Housing (HF 1151). Please show your support for these critical investments at 8 am on Wednesday, March 27, Room 200 of the State Office Building. Thanks to Rep. Howard and Rep. Hausman, respectively, for carrying these bills! View the full hearing agenda.

Read more: Session Scoop: House hearing housing bills at a furious pace. In the Senate, not so much.

Wilder study reveals more and more Minnesotans have no place to call home

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Created: Friday, 22 March 2019 09:51

Written by Laura Proescholdt

On Wednesday, Wilder Research released initial results of their 2018 Minnesota Homeless Study. Distressingly, from 2015 to 2018, the number of people experiencing homelessness in Minnesota has risen 10 percent. There are now approximately 10,233 people experiencing homelessness in our communities statewide, exceeding peak numbers recorded in 2012. Because these numbers are derived from a single-night count, it’s not possible to record every person in the state experiencing homelessness. That means that the numbers in Wilder’s report are only minimum estimates. 

“Minnesota’s lack of affordable housing has ripple effects that impact every single one of us,” said MHP Executive Director Anne Mavity. “For thousands of Minnesotans, the effects are particularly devastating. Families, seniors, and individuals who are experiencing homelessness are bearing the brunt of our collective failure to adequately invest in affordable homes for all. We need all levels of government and private sector partners to step up and say, ‘Homelessness is not acceptable. Not in Minnesota. Not anywhere.’” 

Read more: Wilder study reveals more and more Minnesotans have no place to call home