Every community is stronger when people have a stable, accessible place to call home. Housing is the foundation for good jobs, strong schools, thriving local businesses, and healthy families. When people can afford to stay rooted in their communities, everyone benefits.  

This publication is MHP’s practical guidance for understanding local housing conditions in a way that builds internal capacity and supports community-driven decision-making. This guide was developed to help address that gap. 

This guide reflects commonly used practices in housing and community development planning, drawing from federal and state housing guidance, practitioner experience, and Minnesota Housing Partnership’s (MHP) technical assistance work with communities across diverse geographies. Rather than reproducing any single methodology or template, the guide synthesizes widely accepted concepts and adapts them into a modular, practitioner-focused framework designed to support local decision-making, capacity-building, and practical application. 

Download the guide and accompanying tools:

• From Data to Decisions: A Practical Guide to Community-Driven Housing Needs Assessments
• HNA Starter Checklist (Tool 1)
• Stakeholder Mapping Worksheet (Tool 2)
• Community Engagement Survey Template (Tool 3)
• Housing Gap Analysis Guide (Tool 4)
• Action Planning Worksheet (Tool 5)