Friday, March 10
8:00am to 9:30am
REGISTER HERE: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMkf-6qqD4tEtVGQvoGFL1tXwhdKuD6r41w
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
· Are you a person of faith, who is moved to ensure safe housing for all?
· Do you believe that our community is measured by how we treat those most in need?
· Are you a state legislator, a county commissioner, mayor, city council member who wants to work for housing justice for all?
Churches, governments, and communities have all responded to the changes brought on by COVID. State and federal legislation has made resources available, and a disrupted economy has changed the profile of need.
Let us come together to talk about our vision to end homelessness and share our ideas for how to make that a reality. Let us come together to mobilize our power to do what it takes to Bring Minnesota Home NOW!
MICAH will ask our policy makers how they will they prevent homelessness, strengthen the Continuum to Housing, provide rent subsidies and create, preserve, and rehab housing that is affordable for people with incomes under 30% median income and ensure we have Lead Safe Homes as they use our $17.6 Billion State Abundance (Surplus), State's $1.15 Billion in American Rescue Plan Act funds (ARPA) and our local communities use their ARPA funds. We will ask our elected officials to share their visions and their commitments to Bring Minnesota Home NOW!
Provide feedback on draft for affordable housing/community development
Hennepin County is seeking feedback on the draft 2022 housing and community development action plan. This plan shows how Hennepin County and partner cities plan to use approximately $6 million in annual federal funds for affordable housing and community development projects in suburban cities over the coming year. The action plan directs federal funds through three primary programs:
The City of Brooklyn Center is excited to announce a new down payment assistance program of $10,000 to any eligible household that purchases a home in Brooklyn Center. All candidates must attend a HUD-approved Home Stretch workshop.
Read more about this benefit here.
https://www.ci.brooklyn-center.mn.us/government/departments/community-development/housing-programs/home-purchase-information?locale=en
Use coupon code BUYBC for free registration to PRG's upcoming Home Stretch homebuyer workshops. Questions? Call us at 612-721-7556.
Our upcoming dates for Home Stretch workshops:
Saturday, August 14 - 9am-5:30pm
Sunday, August 29 - 9am-5:30pm
Saturday, September 11 - 9am-5:30pm
Register Here with Coupon Code BUYBC
https://prginc.org/homebuyers/homebuyer-education/register-for-workshops/
Housing for All has doubled in size since 2013! It has conducted very successful legislative breakfast, training, and bus tours. Members are actively involved in their communities Comprehensive plans. Housing for all members are actively involved in providing shelter in their congregations, a resource/service center at CROSS, and developing and maintaining affordable housing opportunities in the Northwest Suburbs. St Joseph the Worker is the founding congregation of Housing for All and continues to play a lead role in advocating for a safe decent place for all to live.
Affordable Housing
Why do we have a shortage of affordable housing at this time?
The number of MN households struggling to afford quality housing has increased 58% since the year 2000 to more than 554,000 households according to the governors office. One out of every four families pays more than they can afford for housing and more than 9300 Minnesotan's faced homelessness in 2015, including 3,500 children. It is happening here in our NW suburbs. We currently we have a total of 431 district 279 students identified as homeless.
Snag #1 Wages haven't kept pace with housing prices nationally since the 1970's. In Minnesota, between 200-2015, the median renter's wages decreased by 11 percent while the gross rent went up by 9 percent.
Would you like to be part of a group working to advocate, educate, promote and work for safe stable housing that is affordable? Join the Housing for All group that meets the 4th Tuesday of each month here at SJTW 9:30-11AM. For more information go to www.sjtw.net/housing-for-all or contact Roxanne Smith at 763-400-7208.
St Joseph the Worker parish is passionate about affordable housing because ALL families deserve a safe, decent affordable place to call home. We are called to live our faith out in the community being involved in issues that affect the most vulnerable. Affordable Housing allows anyone to live in our communities, whether they are families with children, people recently divorced or widowed, college graduates, and young professionals or elderly. People of moderate and lower incomes should be able to live where they work, play, worship and attend school.
Housing for All has had a number of milestone accomplishments while working to promote and advocate for affordable housing for people in all stages of life in Maple Grove and the NW suburbs.
Following is a summary of what Housing for All has done to facilitate awareness and action:
· Provided bus tours (in September 2006, May 2008, September 2009-2017) that allowed people from the community (public officials, church and business leaders, and interested citizens) to tour lifecycle housing sites in Maple Grove and surrounding communities, including affordable senior housing, workforce housing for people with stable modest-income jobs, and sites where future developments will be built.
· Maple Grove highlighted in Metropolitan Council report for being fourth among metro cities in the number of affordable housing units created from 1996-2010.
· Raised $41,500 to use towards the first land trust home in Maple Grove. Our partner, the non-profit Homes Within Reach, secured the remainder of the funding, purchased a suitable home, and solicited and screened homeowner applications. A young family moved into Housing for All’s first land trust home – and their first family home – in January 2009. Based partly on this success, the City of Maple Grove has agreed to contribute CDBG (Community Development Block Grant) funds toward several more land trust homes in our community. Go to www.homeswithinreach.org for more information on becoming a land trust homeowner.
· Helped gain City Council approval for the Maple Village project, which provides 100 affordable housing units for modest-income families. Maple Village phase 1 opened on June 1, 2009 with all 54 units rented. Our strategies included attending and testifying at city council meetings, sending letters and emails, meeting with potential neighbors of the development and developing relationships with the business community to gain their support.
· Worked with City staff and the Comprehensive Land Use Plan sub-committee to ensure that the draft of the revised Comprehensive Plan included language favorable to affordable housing. The Plan, with this favorable language, was adopted in fall 2008. In conversation for the 2018 comprehensive plan with many cities.
· Formed a Business/Community Roundtable consisting of leaders from local area businesses who have an interest in and commitment to workforce housing for their employees. Established in early 2008, the Roundtable met at local community locations.
· Educated and raised awareness of the issue of affordable housing by having a float in the Maple Grove Days parade in 2007 and 2008.
· Participated in the Business Expo as part of Maple Grove Days in July of 2009-2012.
· Housing for All advocated for Hickory Ridge a family designated project based Section 8 development in Maple Grove to remain affordable. The residents of this development are primarily women, children.
· Supported City of Dayton in their desire for workforce housing which successfully passed in spring of 2016
· Held a Legislative Breakfast to meet with state and local policy makers to build relationships and proclaim as people of faith that everyone needs a home.
Housing for All is confident that these accomplishments, along with our ongoing efforts, will help ensure the availability of a broad range of housing opportunities in the Northwest suburbs. Research has shown that affordable housing benefits the entire community by providing stability for families, decreasing reliance on government, and supporting economic growth for local companies.
Please view Housing for All Accomplishment photos below.
Housing for All
Housing for All encourages you to view “Sold Out: Affordable Housing at Risk” a new documentary that shares tenant stories and offers solutions to loss of affordable housing debuting on the Minnesota Life Channel this week. Produced by Twin Cities PBS, in partnership with local advocates and funders, the documentary reveals the price we all pay when families are pushed out of our communities as modestly priced units are replaced with upscale developments. Visit www.tpt.org.
Minnesota renter households don’t earn nearly enough to pay the rent — and make ends meet.
The average wage ($14.28) for a renter in Minnesota isn’t enough to afford a modest two-bedroom apartment in any Minnesota county, and enough to afford a one-bedroom apartment in only 26 Minnesota counties (less than one-third of all counties). On average, a Minnesota renter has to pay $2,700 more than they can afford each year for a modest two-bedroom apartment. For those earning minimum wage ($9.50), even a one-bedroom apartment is out of reach in all Minnesota counties. To be able to afford a one bedroom apartment, a minimum wage worker must work 62 hour per week; to afford a two-bedroom apartment he or she must work 78 hours per week. To learn more go to mhponline.org/publications/out-ofreach/2017
• Minimum wage earners must work 68 hours per week to afford a an average 1 bedroom at 30% of their income which is considered affordable.
• Families must earn $17.20/hr & work 40hr/week to afford the average 2 bedroom apartment.
• Nearly 2 in 5 people experiencing homelessness are children or unaccompanied youth.
Please contact Roxanne Smith at 763-400-7208 to learn more about how you can become involved in Housing for All.