Long-term affordability, brand new homes for neighbors
 With its iconic, bright blue sign, the Aqua City Motel in south Minneapolis was a decades-long fixture in the community—first as a go-to travelers’ inn with mid-century design elements, then later fell into disrepair. With the building in poor condition, the county saw an opportunity to transform the space to create long-term affordable housing. And earlier this year, Trellis stepped up in partnership to help make that change happen.
2025 Point in Time count found fewer homeless families using emergency shelter
 The Point in Time (PIT) count is conducted in communities across the country each year to better understand the depth and breadth of homelessness in their community. This year, a team effort of more than 50 people, including county staff, volunteers, and nonprofit shelter and outreach staff, found that 3,078 people staying in shelters and transitional housing programs and 427 people were experiencing unsheltered homelessness. Those preliminary numbers compare with 3,370 and 496, respectively, in 2024.
Updates and resources
$14.8 million awarded for affordable housing, homeownership
The Hennepin County Board of Commissioners has voted to approve $14.8 million for affordable housing. Together, these awards will create or preserve 1,093 affordable rental housing units and 37 affordable homeownership opportunities, opening doors to new neighbors, helping to end resident homelessness, and reducing racial disparities in homeownership.
Grand Opening: Union Park Flats
 Together with partners, Hennepin County leaders celebrated the grand opening of Union Park Flats, a deeply affordable development in St. Louis Park that creates 60 total rental units. The project is committed to a 50-year affordability period, is well connected to transportation, transit-corridor development, schools, employment opportunities, and more, and creates 13 permanent supportive housing units specifically reserved for residents with disabilities and those exiting homelessness. The county supported Union Park Flats with a significant total investment of $1.9 million through our federal HOME Investment Partnerships Program, Affordable Housing Development Accelerator program, and the Environmental Response Fund.
Groundbreaking: Native American Community Clinic and Housing
 Hennepin County was honored to take part in the recent groundbreaking celebration for the Native American Community Clinic (NACC) and affordable housing development planned for the American Indian Cultural Corridor in south Minneapolis. Developed by NACC and Wellington Management, the project will feature a new 30,000-square-foot health center and 83 units of affordable housing and will expand its offerings in mental health services and mother and child health care. The county has made a significant commitment of $2.9 million in capital funding to help create the affordable housing and clinic through our Supportive Housing Strategy and Transit Oriented Communities programs.
Streamlined process for emergency rent assistance
There’s now a single process to follow for Hennepin County emergency rent assistance. People looking for rent assistance should go straight to RentHelpHennepin rather than filling out a MNbenefits form. This change ensures that residents at greatest risk have seamless access to emergency rental assistance, regardless of funding stream, to mitigate a crisis and preserve their housing stability and simplifies the pathway to emergency rental assistance for residents. Prevent eviction | Hennepin County
MinnPost | Hennepin County homelessness is down compared with national numbers, but there’s a catch
Finance & Commerce | Hennepin County funds $15M for affordable housing
Program contact
hennepin.us/housing
housing@hennepin.us
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