Building through Partnership: County Commissioners Join Us at The Heights

You’ve likely heard it in other blogs and echoed throughout our organization: there’s a lot that needs to come together for our work to get done. It wouldn’t be possible without the help of thousands of volunteers every year and hundreds of donors, including individuals, corporate sponsors, and public sector partners. The relationships we cultivate with government agencies and elected officials to advance affordable homeownership is a part of our work that we value greatly, and we’re so grateful to have leaders across the metro area that prioritize this goal.

During the summer months, we’ve been especially engaged with local levels of government; while this largely means cities, it also means our counties. We operate within the seven-county metro area, which includes Hennepin, Ramsey, Dakota, Anoka, Washington, Carver, and Scott. We strive to connect with each county, and as most of our work happens in Minneapolis and St. Paul, our partnerships with Hennepin and Ramsey County especially are central to our work.

Twin County Build Day

Earlier this month, we hosted the first Twin County Build with commissioners from Hennepin and Ramsey County. Seven commissioners joined us at The Heights development in St. Paul for a full day of building, bonding, and talking public funding. Before the thrill of installing insulation, we began the day discussing our homeownership program, our work to advance racial equity in housing, and the role of public partners in achieving this. Commissioners also toured one of our model units to see what the final homes will look like and learn about our sustainability efforts at The Heights.

Commissioners from Ramsey County included Commissioners Moran, Miller, McMurtrey, Jebens-Singh, and Xiong. Commissioners from Hennepin County included Commissioners Edelson and Anderson.

Our team had a great time and hopes to continue these build days in the future. As CEO Chris Coleman remarked,

"Healthy communities begin with home, and our public partners play an essential role in helping people become homeowners. We cannot do the work we do without public investment. And this year we were lucky to have county leaders who went the extra mile by bringing their teams to join us for hands-on construction at the Heights. We're grateful for the collaboration and look forward to continued work together to make homeownership possible for everyone in our region."

Investment and Beyond

Counties can support our work in a variety of ways, through various tools at their disposal to invest in housing:

• Federal Investment: Home Investment Partnership (HOME) and Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) are received by counties, which they can then distribute more locally to support affordable housing creation and preservation.

• State Investment: In 2023, the Minnesota State Legislature implemented a metropolitan sales tax to create an additional reliable resource to support affordable housing creation and preservation. This is a relatively new funding source, and Twin Cities Habitat is excited by the prospect of increasing investment in affordable housing.

• Local Investment: HRA tax levies are additional sources some counties raise through increased property taxes to fund affordable housing and economic development opportunities. As of now, only Hennepin and Ramsey County have this additional funding source.

Many counties also have distinct programs that intersect with our work and provide opportunities for collaboration, such as post-purchase support, foreclosure prevention, down payment assistance, and more.

Hennepin and Ramsey County Commissioners and their staff volunteer together this summer.

With the rising cost of materials, labor, and land, these investments are crucial for getting these projects across the finish line. All public funding is essential for meeting both affordability gaps (the difference between the cost of a home and what a homebuyer can afford) and development gaps (the difference between the cost of constructing or rehabilitating a home and its market value). The same is true for county funds. But as each county has its own distinct challenges, strengths, and housing environments, our county leaders should be intentional and strategic with their housing dollars to meet the specific needs of their communities.

In addition to public funding itself, county commissioners and staff can be partners for helping us make new connections with communities and potential homebuyers. We strive to engage with the communities we build in throughout our entire process, from when we are first envisioning a project to when we are looking for families to move in. Elected leaders can help us find new opportunities for outreach through public forums and events, and by helping spread the word to their constituents and networks. This is especially important for our work at The Heights, where we’ll rely on our partnerships with elected officials and the Sandy Green Realty team to help connect and guide buyers through buying a home with us.

Looking Ahead

As public investment is central to Habitat’s mission, we strive to not only access existing funds, but also to advocate for expanding and preserving resources that can advance our work. As the political environments that determine these funding sources are continuously shifting, we are always looking ahead at new opportunities for growth, as well as potential risks that we can try to mitigate. You can help us advocate for affordable homeownership by signing up for advocacy action alerts that will keep you up to date and provide easy ways to take action!