Six approved projects put Hennepin County 23% ahead of ambitious pandemic recovery goals
The Hennepin County Housing and Redevelopment Authority approved funding for six projects on June 28 for the second round of the Affordable Housing Development Accelerator fund, which was designed to expedite completion of critical affordable housing projects. Three projects are led by BIPOC developers, and five are in areas impacted by civil unrest. Together, all six projects will create or preserve 519 new affordable housing opportunities.
In total, Hennepin County has helped create or preserve 2,523 units of affordable housing across the county through our pandemic recovery funding since these funds were allocated in fall 2021, exceeding our initial goal of 2,000 units. The Hennepin County Housing team has allocated or awarded $37.8 million of the allocated $46 million in pandemic recovery housing funds.
The six projects receiving second round Accelerator awards were selected from 27 competitive proposals submitted:
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Blake Road Building A, Hopkins: 116-unit transit-oriented workforce development primarily serving households at 50% Area Median Income (or $52,800 per year for a household of 3)
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Currie Commons, Minneapolis: 187-unit workforce development with 45 units reserved for 30% AMI households (or $31,700 per year for a household of 3) and 40 units of project-based Section 8 housing
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Minnesota Indian Women’s Resource Center, Minneapolis: 22 units of supportive housing targeted to serve Native American women experiencing homelessness
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Minneapolis Public Housing Authority’s Family Expansion, Minneapolis: 84 new two- and three-bedroom units in new, small-scale apartment buildings at 16 sites across Minneapolis
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Union Park Flats, St. Louis Park: a 60-unit transit-oriented family affordable housing development, with 15 units with three bedrooms or larger
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Vista 44, Hopkins: 50 new affordable, supportive housing units to serve families experiencing homelessness, with 20 units set aside for families involved with the county child welfare system
Additional Requests for Proposals (RFPs) will be released September 1 for Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing (NOAH), Supportive Housing, and the Affordable Housing Development Accelerator. Proposals will be due in early October. Please look for a mid-August email with more details about these RFPs.
Since its launch in September 2021, The Hennepin Homeownership Preservation Program (HHPP) provided $1.7 million to 133 homeowners to preserve their mortgages and housing stability. The median household income for these families was $25,800, and 59% were households of color.
HHPP was created and administered in partnership with the City of Minneapolis and the Minnesota Homeownership Center. The program has served communities hardest hit by the 2008 foreclosure crisis and by the economic impacts of COVID-19.
Although applications for the Homeownership Preservation Program have closed, similar assistance may be available from HomeHelpMN, which is accepting applications through August 17th, 2022.
Public comment will be solicited on the draft Home-American Rescue Plan for 30 days starting August 1, 2022. The substantial amendment to the 2021 annual Hennepin County housing development action plan will be available on the county’s website. It outlines how the county plans to spend an additional $6.4 million of HOME-American Rescue Plan funding through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The public can comment on the draft plan at an upcoming hearing:
Tuesday, August 9th, 1:30 pm
To attend the public hearing via telephone, call the toll-free dial-in telephone conference number (855) 946-3351 prior to the start of the meeting. You can also view the live feed here, but will need to call in to provide comment.
Provide written comment
You can also provide written comments on the amendment from August 1 through August 30, 2022 to:
Julia Welle Ayres, Housing Development and Finance Director, Hennepin County Housing and Economic Development Department, 701 Fourth Avenue South, Suite 400 Minneapolis, MN 55415, or Julia.welleayres@hennepin.us.
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