When people think about affordable housing, they often picture brand-new homes being built from the ground up. But another critical piece of the housing puzzle happens quietly every day across our communities: preserving the homes people already have.
At Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity, our A Brush with Kindness (ABWK) repair program helps homeowners remain safely and stably housed through critical home repairs, accessibility improvements, and exterior maintenance. Through a unique partnership with the Regulatory Services division of the City of Minneapolis, this work has become an important tool for preventing displacement and helping vulnerable homeowners avoid falling deeper into crisis.
Sometimes, a coat of paint can help keep someone in their home. Truly.
Many homeowners, especially older adults, people with disabilities, or households experiencing financial hardship, struggle to keep up with home maintenance. The pandemic intensified these challenges, as many families experienced job loss, reduced hours, rising costs, and worsening mental health struggles.
Putting off a home maintenance project can spiral into a bigger problem. A peeling garage door, crumbling porch, broken gutter, or damaged roof may seem minor at first glance, but they can trigger citations that become financially overwhelming. In Minneapolis, unpaid fines can eventually be added to a homeowner’s property taxes; this can create a dangerous cycle that puts people at risk of tax forfeiture.
When citations aren't addressed, the city may also condemn the property. And when homes are condemned, families are forced to move elsewhere. Often, they cannot afford another home and may end up homeless or in a housing situation that is not sustainable.
And for many homeowners, the citation itself is only the visible symptom of a larger problem.
Recognizing that citations and fines alone were not sufficient to address critical home repairs, the City of Minneapolis began looking for a better solution.
In 2019, the City partnered with Twin Cities Habitat and neighborhood organizations to pilot a new referral-based program. Instead of repeatedly issuing fines, housing inspectors could refer struggling homeowners directly to Habitat’s A Brush With Kindness program for support.
The pilot program designated approximately $3,000 per household to address citation-related repairs and helped about a dozen homeowners resolve violations and remain in their homes.
The partnership expanded significantly in 2021, fueled in part by American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding. Today, the program can provide up to $25,000 per homeowner to address more complex and urgent repair issues.
This allows Habitat to go beyond surface-level fixes and take a more holistic approach to housing stabilization.
"By the time folks get to us, people are not in a great place," says Mike, Program Manager for A Brush with Kindness. "They're wary and cautious. We start to build trust with the homeowner, understand what their situation is and develop a scope of work. We want to take a holistic look at what stabilization needs look like."
That’s why Twin Cities Habitat added a Family Liaison role within the ABWK program—someone with social work experience who can build relationships, listen to homeowners’ concerns, and help navigate challenges beyond construction.
"We like to think it’s about the houses, but it’s really about the people," Mike says.
The process begins when Minneapolis Housing Inspectors identify homeowners with unresolved housing orders for exterior repairs (exterior paint, roofing or siding issues, etc.) and refer them to the city's innovative Resident Navigator department. The Navigator evaluates the homeowner's situation, then works closely with Twin Cities Habitat's A Brush with Kindness staff to help build trust and assess the home more comprehensively.
A work scope is created to address both the citation as well as other health, safety, or accessibility repairs that may be on the inside of the home (failing plumbing, unsafe electrical systems, heating issues, etc.). A Brush with Kindness uses the traditional Habitat model of trained staff, volunteers, and licensed subcontractors to complete the work. The Family Liaison works with the homeowner throughout the process, providing support and additional resource referrals.
Through partnerships with organizations like NeighborWorks, Rebuilding Together, Hearts & Hammers, and the City’s Community Planning & Economic Development (CPED) department, homeowners can access broader support networks and referrals when needs extend beyond Habitat’s scope.
It's in every community's best interest that people are able to safely stay in their homes. The public cost of homelessness, emergency housing, or long-term social services is far greater than most repair projects. Cities are increasingly recognizing that helping homeowners is both compassionate and cost-effective.
The Minneapolis partnership has also become a model for other communities. Similar pilot programs are now emerging in cities like Bloomington and Brooklyn Park as municipalities realize that fines and citations alone cannot solve housing instability.
Instead, partnerships that combine resources, repairs, and relationship-building are creating real, lasting solutions.
Home preservation work may not always grab headlines like new housing developments do, but its impact is profound.
A repaired porch can prevent a citation.
An accessibility ramp can help someone age safely in place.
A trusted relationship can keep a family from losing their home.
At Twin Cities Habitat, we believe affordable housing isn’t just about building new homes—it’s also about preserving the homes people already have and helping families remain rooted in the communities they love.