Last week, MPHA welcomed U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research, Solomon Greene, to showcase the power of more permissible zoning laws and modular construction with tours of innovative agency and local projects. The visit comes ahead of HUD’s 2024 Innovative Housing Showcase later this summer. The tour included leaders from the national and local HUD offices, MPHA staff, City of Minneapolis CPED staff, local developers, and staff from the offices of Senator Amy Klobuchar and Representative Ilhan Omar. Tour ..read more

As Micheline Miller stood up to be recognized by her cohort and coaches, she celebrated how far they had come in the last year. Just 11 months earlier, Micheline moved into MPHA family housing, escaping an abusive relationship and helping stabilize her family. Now, Micheline is a member of the first cohort in a new partnership between MPHA and Twin Cities R!SE (TCR) providing residents eight weeks of personal empowerment and career training. The Minneapolis Public Housing Authority is teaming up with TCR to provide MPHA family housing residents with career development resources to help gain me ..read more

Today, Minnesota State Senator Zaynab Mohamed and Representative Hodan Hassan announced a new effort to send MPHA a one-time cash grant of $35 million to repair the agency’s portfolio of more than 700 deeply affordable family homes. This new legislation (HF 4169/SF 4020) is a continuation of an effort that began last legislative session, where the agency sought $45 million in one-time funding. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey joined the announcement to endorse the new legislation and tout recent investments the City of Minneapolis has made in MPHA, including restoring the long-dormant housing levy ..read more

As the largest public housing provider in the state and with a capital backlog of more than $229 million, MPHA has a lot of construction and renovation work to complete. For the most complex projects, MPHA routinely contracts with local construction companies to supplement the work of its own in-house team of skilled maintenance and trades persons (ex. high-rise fire suppression system installations). In 2023, MPHA contracted with local firms more than 590,000 labor hours, nearly 165,000 of which is this type of construction work, all of which pays prevailing wage rates. Beyond helping more th ..read more

Last year, MPHA’s Planning and Development (P&D) Department helped the agency hit several milestones: financing, breaking ground, and leasing a first-of-its-kind modular family housing development, completing a $10 million renovation project at Hamilton Manor, and retrofitting 13 high-rises with fire suppression systems. Laura Dykema leads the department as its director, supported by a talented team. While Laura’s MPHA career began on the P&D team, her journey to leading the team is far from ordinary. Laura arrived at MPHA 26 years ago, serving as a temporary secretary when she was 19 ..read more

The Minneapolis Public Housing Authority (MPHA) provides public and deeply affordable housing to nearly 10,000 residents at 30 percent of the resident’s adjusted income. For the thousands of residents on a fixed income, that means being vulnerable to macroeconomic conditions like inflation for their regular cost of living expenses. While paying $20 more for groceries a week might not seem like a lot to some, for those living in MPHA housing on a fixed income, that change can significantly alter their monthly budget. Since the pandemic, MPHA has seen a significant increase in the number of resi ..read more

MPHA is HUD high performer and an industry leader in innovative partnerships. Last year alone, the agency earned its highest ever PHAS physical inspection score, secured more than $10 million in new state and local funding, and opened its nation-leading modular family housing development. But none of these accomplishments would be possible if not for the dedicated team enabling MPHA’s success. And in the new year, MPHA is creating new career opportunities across a variety of departments including property management, maintenance and trades, development, and direct program services to help buil ..read more

Since December, the Cora McCorvey Health and Wellness Center’s (CMCWC) sun-filled halls have been lined with art by local senior artists as part of the “Inspired By A Lifetime” art exhibition. With the CMCWC serving the area’s seniors, the artists featured in the collection are a reflection of the individuals using the center’s services. This exhibit welcomes art back to the center after several years with empty walls—and the community is excited to see their lives reflected throughout the CMCWC. From photography to mixed media, abstract to figurative, the variety of mediums and styles on disp ..read more

With the Minneapolis City Council passing the 2024 city budget, including restoring the city’s housing tax levy, Minneapolis Public Housing Authority (MPHA) Executive Director/CEO, Abdi Warsame, released the following statement: “I commend Mayor Frey for his leadership recommending restoring the city’s housing tax levy and the City Council for approving that recommendation,” said Minneapolis Public Housing Authority Executive Director/CEO, Abdi Warsame. “Restoring the housing levy has long been a priority of MPHA residents, and this unprecedented amount of levy funding is a direct result of th ..read more

Last month, MPHA’s Board of Commissioners approved increases to the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program’s 2024 payment standards, marking the largest increase in the last several years. These increases are based on the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Fair Market Rent (FMR) and local market conditions. Adjustments take effect as early as January 1, 2024, for all HCV participants and applicants, upon annual recertification or move to a new unit. MPHA’s adjusted payment standards for 2024 are as follows: Annual FMRs are determined by HUD for the Twin Cities region using ..read more