MHP Connect

MHP's Response to COVID19

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Created: Monday, 16 March 2020 14:00

Written by Andy Birkey

MHP offices are physically closed effective Monday, March 16th through March 31st, to be extended if needed, following the advice of national, state, and local public health authorities in response to the COVID19 pandemic. MHP is working to reduce the burden on health care systems, along with our stakeholders and partners. We urge everyone to engage in social distancing and other preventative health behaviors as well. 

MHP business functions are fully operational for this period. Our meetings will switch to email, phone, and video conferencing. Technical assistance for rural and tribal communities will continue and we will continue to advocate for affordable housing both locally and nationally, as the economic downturn makes affordable housing that much more essential. 

Our work has never been more important. Housing is health care. We will continue to work toward our mission that everyone has safe, decent, affordable housing. Please continue to reach out to us on how we can help support you and your communities during this time.

To keep up-to-date on how COVID19 is affecting affordable housing and what you can do to help advocate, sign up for our e-newsletters and follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Leaders urge housing support for low-wage workers affected by COVID19

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Created: Sunday, 15 March 2020 15:47

Written by Andy Birkey

Leaders of Minnesota’s affordable housing organizations sent a letter to Gov. Tim Walz on Sunday asking Minnesota officials to act quickly to support low-wage workers at risk for homelessness as COVID 19 shuts down much of Minnesota’s economy. 

“To responsibly support Minnesotans at this time of crisis, the State must dedicate $100 million in emergency COVID-19 funds for housing supports through the Family Homeless Prevention and Assistance Program (FHPAP),” the letter states. “$100 million will provide one month of FHPAP, at an estimated rate of $400 per month per household, for 250,000 families.”

“It’s impossible to stay home when you are sick if you have no home,” said Anne Mavity, executive director of Minnesota Housing Partnership, a signer of the letter to Gov. Walz. “Ensuring stable housing through this crisis is vital to public health.”

The letter also notes that Minnesota’s elected leaders and housing organizations must prepare now to avoid a repeat of what happened during the foreclosure crisis of the late 2000s, which left the state with a lasting shortage of affordable housing and exacerbated racial disparities in housing. 

Signatories to the letter were: 

Anne Mavity, Executive Director, Minnesota Housing Partnership 
Jenny Larson, Executive Director, Three Rivers Community Action 
Deidre Schmidt, President and CEO, CommonBond Communities 
Alan Arthur, President and CEO, Aeon 
Paul Williams, President and CEO, Project for Pride in Living 
Lee Blons, President, Beacon Interfaith Housing Collaborative 
Chris Coleman, President and CEO, Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity
Warren Hanson, President and CEO, Greater Minnesota Housing Fund 
Ellen Sahli, President and CEO, Family Housing Fund 
Buffy Beranek, Southeast MN Multi-county HRA 
Cristin Incitti, Executive Director, Habitat for Humanity Minnesota 
Barb Jeanetta, Executive Director, Alliance Housing
Jim Roth, Executive Director, Metropolitan Consortium of Community Developers

Read the full letter here.

Endorse the letter here: 

MHP Investors Council Recap: Action for Homes Legislative Update

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Created: Tuesday, 25 February 2020 08:55

Written by Andy Birkey

“It’s so important that we remember that housing has historically been a bipartisan issue,” Minnesota Housing Commissioner Jennifer Ho told a crowd of more than 130 people at MHP’s February Investors Council breakfast. “Turns out that regardless of your politics, you need a home.”

Ho’s remarks came as part of the Investors Council’s Action for Homes on Feb. 13 where affordable housing advocates and professionals gathered to learn more about what’s ahead in the 2020 legislative session at the Minnesota Capitol.  

“The housing shortage is threatening what’s happening with our economy,” Ho added. “We are losing our competitive advantage. I was up in Thief River Falls with Sen. Mark Johnson. Digi-key and Polaris need housing. They have the jobs. They want to expand but need housing. It’s become a top tier issue.”

“Incremental investments aren’t going to get us there. We’ve got to go big.”

Anne Mavity, MHP’s executive director, highlighted the opportunities and challenges ahead. 

“We have an enormous opportunity facing us in affordable housing right now. Housing has hit the front pages and that’s good and bad,” she said. “It means that employers are feeling the pinch where they can’t attract employees because of the of lack of affordable housing. Students don't always have a place to do their homework. It means the folks that are taking care of our kids -- that are taking care of my mom today -- they can be working full time and not afford an average apartment, frankly, anywhere in the state.”

“We are in a moment of opportunity and we need to take advantage of that and think big and think transformationally.”

Acooa Lee Ellis of the Greater Twin Cities United Way moderated a panel discussion between House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler, Assistant Minority Leader Sen. Jeff Hayden, Sen. David Senjem,, and Rep. Tama Theis. 

Rep. Winkler gave the crowd his assessment of the potential success of housing initiatives at the Minnesota Capitol in 2020.

“We have a long-term commitment to addressing the housing affordability crisis that is growing in Minnesota and growing at all levels and it’s not just homelessness, not just supportive housing, it’s not just starter housing, it is all the way up and down the scale, and having a lot more supply is essential to solving that problem. It’s a long term challenge. But it’s not going to be an easy year for making major progress.”

Hayden talked about the propensity for lawmakers to set an artificial line in the sand when it comes to bonding, and that a bonding bill has to be enough to impact the housing crisis.

“We really do need a bonding bill that is sufficient. And I know that Sen. Senjem and Rep. Mary Murphy are working on that. It’s important to bond at a level that makes sense, instead of saying it’s got to be a ‘number’ and nothing else.”

Rep. Tama Theis laid out the reality in rural areas of Minnesota. 

“In our community and in some of the other rural communities, workforce housing is huge for us. we don’t have enough houses…. We need to make this a priority and bring it more up front. We have these dialogues about why housing is so expensive in Minnesota.  We need to get to the point that we build more homes and that people can afford them. We have so many jobs to fill and no homes for people to go to. When housing doesn’t do well, the economy doesn’t do well.”

Sen. David Senjem said that government must play a role in creating enough homes for Minnesota to be great. 

“We work every year to build this state to be a little better, to have this great Minnesota that we want,” he said. “About 10 or 15 years ago we began to realize: This whole issue of housing is real. Somehow the cost of housing has outstripped the ability of people to pay for it.  Somehow the government has to intervene whether it’s Housing Infrastructure Bonds or rehab with apartments or tax credits whatever the case may be. There has to be a role for the government to help.”

At the close of the event, Sen. Senjem signed on to a bill for $500 million in housing bonds. This bill is a priority Homes for All coalition and MHP.  Thank you Sen. Senjem!

To be part of these dynamic conversations, become a contributor or renew your contribution in the MHP Investors Council today!

Swift County wins FHLB grant to support low-income homeowners

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Created: Friday, 21 February 2020 10:06

Written by Andy Birkey

Members of Housing Institute 6 including Todd, Meeker, Kandiyohi and Swift Counties. 

Swift County Housing and Redevelopment Authority was awarded a Federal Home Loan Bank Grant to expand their housing rehabilitation  program. Swift County HRA participated in MHP’s Housing Institute in 2019.

The grant, just shy of $500,000 will help Swift County expand its housing rehabilitation project. The fiunds will help low-income homeowners with much needed repairs and support county efforts to purchase and rehab a home in the county. 

Many rural HRAs and EDAs in Minnesota face dwindling federal financial resources and have staff resources that are stretched to capacity. This makes competing for scarce resources in complex development environments extremely challenging resulting in lack of ability to maintain aging housing stock or create new affordable housing opportunities to meet local needs.  

MHP’s Housing Institute uses a collaborative, team-based learning model supplemented with customized assistance including information and skills around the FHLB process. The Institutes also enhance community capacity by bringing together teams focused on creating and preserve affordable housing. The model builds local knowledge and capacity and provides opportunity to identify and leverage community resources.  

“We learned about the FHLB program during our participation in the Minnesota Housing Partnership’s Housing Institute in 2017-2018, and we were lucky to find we had a FHLB member bank in Swift County,” said Jennifer Frost, Executive Director, Swift County RDA.

“It’s been difficult to attract new housing development given the costs to build against our market rents and sales prices so we have really gone after rehab dollars to improve the homes we have. Increasing the quality of our housing stock provides more options for families looking to live in Swift County. More options can help businesses attract employees they need to our communities.”

Learn more about Swift County’s efforts here. Learn more about MHP’s Housing Institutes here.