EXCERPT: “A new partnership with the Minnesota Housing agency will help Habitat for Humanity open more doors to homeownership for lower income people in the Twin Cities. The state housing finance agency is providing a new $25 million line of credit to the Twin Cities affiliate of Habitat for Humanity, the local group said Monday. The low-cost credit will help the organization respond quickly to land and property acquisition opportunities . . . The partnership comes as the Twin Cities Habitat chapter expands its homeownership program amid rising development costs. Habitat in the past has averaged partnerships with 50 families a year in its homeownership program, and seeks to double that to reach more than 100 families per year.” FULLSTORY: http://bit.ly/2KoWUS5

EXCERPT: “At least three major real-estate projects will bring more than 400 units of new or planned housing to the nine-block stretch of Snelling between Selby and University avenues. Those aren’t the only visible changes ahead for the area, which is poised for some of the most significant movement it’s seen in decades. Imagine taller buildings. More renters. Soccer fans. And a new Red’s Savoy Pizza franchise. So much change is happening so fast, some business owners are still taking it all in.” FULLSTORY: http://bit.ly/2MqeCWb

EXCERPT: “A proposed six-story, mixed-use apartment building at Snelling and St. Clair avenues survived a key hurdle Wednesday night, receiving the support of the St. Paul City Council by a vote of 5-to-1. ‘The developer has taken (into account) much of the suggestions and concerns about the size of this site, about how the development looks,’ said council member Chris Tolbert. ‘There is one thing we can all agree upon. We want something to happen at this corner. It’s ugly. It’s a parking lot that isn’t maintained well. Quite frankly, it’s an eyesore most of the time.’ Council member Jane Prince cast the sole vote to support an appeal presented by a group of neighbors opposed to the project’s height.” FULLSTORY: http://bit.ly/2MeiPMC

EXCERPT: “A Minneapolis-based nonprofit has bought 118 apartments in Little Canada in order to keep them affordable. Aeon announced Friday that it had purchased The Provinces, an apartment complex west of Interstate 35E on Little Canada Road. The buildings, which are home to roughly 300 residents, were previously owned by Dominium . . . Affordable housing advocates have said preserving naturally-occurring affordable housing — or NOAHs — is a crucial strategy in a tight rental housing market. Aeon, a nonprofit developer, owner and manager of affordable homes, has purchased 1,447 NOAH apartments in recent years to preserve their affordability.” FULLSTORY: http://bit.ly/2MDJ7bN

EXCERPT: “More health care organizations are making that connection between housing and health. Hospitals subsidize apartments for the homeless in Chicago, Orlando and Portland. Insurer United Healthcare has invested millions of dollars in affordable housing projects in Michigan and Wisconsin. And last month Kaiser Permanente, the health care and insurance giant, announced a $200 million investment in affordable housing. ‘The real significance is you’ve got a major corporation saying it’s within our business interests to recognize this relationship,’ said Kevin Lindamood, CEO of Health Care for the Homeless in Maryland. ‘We are confident that that kind of thinking will catch on.’ Several studies have shown the economic benefit of supportive housing, for example a program in Los Angeles saved the county 20 percent on medical and social services for those who got housing, after factoring in the cost of the program.” FULLSTORY: http://bit.ly/2JKW8P2

EXCERPT: “The American Civil Liberties Union is suing the City of Faribault over what it calls an unconstitutional rental housing ordinance that discriminates against people of color. The organization filed the lawsuit Wednesday morning in federal court. The suit alleges that the city’s rental licensing ordinance was enacted with the intent to push minority families out of downtown Faribault. Under the ordinance, landlords are required to evict tenants if police are called to a property as few as three times and identify a ‘disorderly conduct’ violation. The ordinance also requires landlords to do background checks on all tenants before they hand over the keys.” FULLSTORY: http://bit.ly/2JDOvxR

EXCERPT: “A proposed affordable housing project in Baxter seeks to provide apartments for individuals diagnosed with a mental illness. The Central Minnesota Housing Partnership was before the Baxter City Council Tuesday, June 5, seeking support for a development called White Oak Estates. Deanna Hemmesch, executive director of the Partnership, described White Oak Estates as an $8.8 million affordable housing project that would have a 20-unit apartment building and 20 townhome units on 6.6 acres on Grand Oaks Drive . . . Hemmesch said the housing project would be dedicated to individuals and families who make less than 60 percent of the area median income. Families at or below the 60 percent area median income earn between $9.62 and $21.87 per hour.” FULLSTORY: http://bit.ly/2y1zeBF

EXCERPT: “At its May 29 meeting, the Inver Grove Heights City Council approved a series of resolutions that will allow for a new affordable housing apartment building for low-income families to be built on property currently owned by a church. Tom Link, community development director, said the request for the property located at 6070 Cahill Ave. was to change the comprehensive plan designation on the north part of the property from public institutional to high-density residential. There was also a request for the zoning to have a similar change as well. The requests were related to a potential development of a 40-unit apartment building on the north side of the property, with River Heights Vineyard Church on the south.” FULLSTORY: http://bit.ly/2y8CZoK

EXCERPT: “If it weren’t for J.R. Koch spraining his ankle, Devean George wouldn’t be sitting here right now. Or, maybe he would be, but under different circumstances. But I’m getting ahead of myself. On a recent Monday afternoon, the one-time L.A. Laker—6-foot-8-inches tall and still looking game-fit—is making a mockery of a lounge chair scaled to normal-size people. We’re in the lobby of The Commons at Penn, his affordable housing community on the corner of Penn Avenue and Golden Valley Road, in North Minneapolis. The development stands out in its own way: Not a lot of attractive new homes get built in North Minneapolis—a fact that hasn’t been lost on its mostly African-American residents.” FULLSTORY: http://bit.ly/2JyB8yn

EXCERPT: “A workforce housing project financed with federal, city and county assistance is nearing completion. Dublin Crossing, at 920 Patriot Drive next to Kearney Pond, will add 50 units for tenants earning roughly $16 per hour or less. The apartment could be open as soon as late June, said Justin Eilers, project manager for CommonBond Communities — the organization leading construction efforts. ‘We’re actively taking applications right now,’ he said. ‘We’ve had a good interest so far.’ Once completed, Dublin Crossing would be the first new workforce housing in Mankato since 2012.” FULLSTORY: http://bit.ly/2LqZW8t