Regional Housing

Affordable housing is core to a strong economy and a healthy region. Increasingly, housing is no longer affordable for many Twin Cities seven-county area working families. This lack of affordable housing for people of all ages and incomes dampens productivity and job growth.

The Metropolitan Council recognizes that durable and well-maintained housing is important to community tax base, livability, businesses and the region as a whole, and supports affordable housing in the region through various programs and initiatives.

Metro HRA services

The Metro HRA, an arm of the Metro Council, provides affordable housing opportunities under the federal "Section 8" program for more than 6,800 seniors, families and people with disabilities in Anoka and Carver Counties, as well as most of suburban Hennepin and Ramsey Counties. The agency provides housing assistance to low-income households on behalf of nearly 100 suburban and rural communities. It is one of 11 agencies administering a federal Section 8 voucher program in the seven-county metro region. All the agency's federally subsidized housing vouchers are in use and helping low-income families pay rent.

The Metro HRA also has programs to stabilize families and help them work toward self-sufficiency, implemented in conjunction with various social service providers. They include programs for people with mental illness to help them live as independently as possible. Also included is a program that combines rent assistance and housing rehabilitation. More about the Metro HRA.

Family Affordable Housing

The Council's Family Affordable Housing Program (FAHP) uses federal funds to weave family rental housing into the fabric of 11 Twin Cities area suburbs. The program provides 150 homes — single-family, townhouses, and duplexes — scattered throughout ten cities in suburban Anoka, Ramsey and Hennepin Counties. A professional property management firm manages FAHP homes. More about the FAHP.

Mayors' Task Force

The Council first convened a task force of Twin Cities area mayors in early 2000 to examine the availability of the region's affordable housing. The task force issued a report on their efforts in November 2000 — Affordable Housing for the Region: Strategies for Building Strong Communities. A second, followup task force was convened in 2002 and issued its report in October 2002: Affordable Housing: Making it a Reality.

The Council is using the recommendations to develop legislative initiatives and help shape its own policies and programs.