Minnesota’s potential is endless. That’s Minnesota Housing Partnership is uniting with partners in a campaign to unlock our potential through sustainable, predictable investments in housing. We’re excited to share our efforts with you, and hope you will join us in advancing this work!

Campaign updates

• Our campaign for dedicated revenue for housing, now called Keys to Prosperity, is about to launch a video highlighting housing stories from around our state.
• We have used a candidate housing questionnaire to raise the profile of housing issues this election season, with close to 60 responses to date.
• We have hired housing canvassers to identify “housing voters” in competitive house districts and to engage these residents in ongoing housing advocacy opportunities.
• Post-election, our goal is to build a more formal campaign structure and to grow our coalition committed to increasing Minnesota’s investment in housing.

Policy development updates

• We met with several groups in summer and fall, in Greater Minnesota and metro locations, to develop a framework for prioritizing new funding. We heard consistent support for these principles to guide policy:
  • Serve the greatest needs;
  • Be flexible to local needs and community-based solutions;
  • Ensure funds are sustainable and predictable;
  • Policies must be outcome-driven and maximize value.
• We also heard consistent support for these priorities for new funding: 
  • Serve the housing needs of low- to very low-income households, including with rental assistance;
  • Reduce racial disparities; and 
  • Balance funding focused on the lowest income households with serving the full continuum of housing needs.
• A variety of sources to support significant new investment in housing are being reviewed, including sales tax, mortgage interest deduction modification, and dedicating a percent of future budget surplus to housing. 
• MHP has introduced dedicated revenue for housing through the policy adoption process for the Homes for All coalition. We have also re-introduced a tax credit for housing, a policy to secure dedicated funding for housing that gained momentum in the 2018 legislative session, through Homes for All’s process. The Homes for All coalition will review these and other proposals to finalize its legislative agenda for 2019/20.

With questions, or to get involved, contact Elizabeth Glidden, MHP Director of Strategic Initiatives & Policy at elizabeth.glidden@mhponline.org or 651.925.5548.