Blog

Workforce housing has been a key policy priority for MHP, along with strong support for affordable housing through Homes for All. However, the MN House of Representatives’ budget proposal for housing, released last week, funds workforce housing at the direct expense of programs that serve lower-income Minnesotans. The House proposal cuts…

What do fair housing and equity mean outside the urban core such as in rural areas without visible concentrations of race and poverty?  In the rural regions where MHP worked as a capacity-builder under the Sustainable Communities Initiative, HUD grantees struggled with this question as they faced a…

The Senate Finance Committee, House Ways and Means Committee, Congressional and White House leadership are finalizing details on legislation that would extend dozens of expired tax provisions either temporarily or permanently before the December 11 deadline. Take action today to influence the bill in support of permanent 9 and 4…

MHP’s June 2015 2×4 Report, released today, found that low rental vacancy rates and rising rents have led to competition for lower-priced units, at least in the Twin Cities where regular data is available. Minnesotans with low incomes are at greatest risk in this tight rental…

Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing | On July 8, HUD released the Final Rule on Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH). The rule provides recipients of HUD funding with guidelines and data to promote fair housing and ensure that everyone has the right to fair housing, regardless of their race, color, national origin,…

Advocates for affordable housing are well aware of the rising costs of multi-family housing development. City fees, parking requirements, utility hook ups and other expenses all contribute to driving up total development costs. This October, MHP convened affordable housing industry leaders, to explore creative ways to reduce the cost of affordable…

Housing and services bills have been moving rapidly through the House and Senate, as both bodies position themselves for end-of-session negotiations. It may come as no surprise that the House, Senate, and Governor’s versions of the budget differ from each other when it comes to Minnesota…

In the final days of the 2015 legislative session, Minnesota Housing Finance Agency’s budget faced uncertainty. Lawmakers released the Jobs/Energy bill, in which Minnesota Housing’s budget is included, with less than an hour before the Legislature’s adjournment deadline of midnight on May 18. The House took up this “lights on”…

At the Capitol this year, MHP worked with Homes for All to increase funds for housing across the spectrum of need. MHP and Homes for All asked legislators to budget an additional $39 million for housing development and supportive housing services to meet housing needs of…

For several years, MHP has heard from community partners that the lack of available and affordable housing for workers in Greater Minnesota is an ongoing frustration which leaves renters competing for housing and constrains job growth. MHP believes that the Legislature has a role to play in addressing the near inability…