In the summer of 2026, MHP team members Jill Henricksen and Matthew Prediger traveled to West Alabama to meet with local leaders and organizations preparing to participate in MHP’s first Housing Institute outside Minnesota. 

The expansion is made possible through MHP’s partnership with Rural Studio at Auburn University. Rural Studio staff introduced MHP to organizations and community leaders across the region and helped lay the groundwork for the new Institute. During the visit, Jill and Matthew also toured Rural Studio’s campus and community-based design projects in Newbern. 

Established in 2010, MHP’s Housing Institute brings together community stakeholders through customized learning, guided collaboration, and capacity building. Its team-based approach helps participants strengthen partnerships, develop practical housing solutions, and move specific projects forward. 

Jill and Matthew met with Selma’s mayor and planning director, the CEO of the Selma Housing Authority, and staff at the Selma Center for Nonviolence, which is developing a hub to connect community members with housing resources. They also met with regional housing authorities and nonprofit organizations, including Sewing Seeds of Hope in Marion and Demopolis Area Habitat for Humanity. 

These partners will participate in four in-person workshops beginning in October in Demopolis. Over the course of the Institute, participants will share knowledge, build regional connections, and work together to advance housing projects that can strengthen their communities for years to come. 

Photo from Rural Studio’s project “Rosie’s Home” in Newbern, AL