About

Today’s Challenge

The issues impacting the affordable rental housing industry are complex and rooted in longstanding affordable housing finance practices. In recent years, these longstanding issues have been exacerbated by external forces largely out of the control of housing providers. These include dramatic escalation of operating costs, pandemic-related increases in rent arrears, and significant challenges with public safety. If these organizations are not stabilized, we risk losing decades of public investments into the affordable housing sector – which means families with low incomes could lose their homes and homelessness rates could increase.

A third-party comprehensive financial analysis of nearly 26,000 units of regulated affordable housing across the state shows high levels of distress that are pervasive across the industry. No housing subsector or geographic region is immune. The Minnesota affordable housing industry is conservatively estimated to have lost at least $50 million between 2018-2023. This is a systemic problem that we need to solve with systemic solutions.

The Minnesota Housing Stability Coalition came together in 2023 to address the significant threats to the stability of low-income residents and financial health of the affordable housing system. Since then, we’ve convened and interviewed hundreds of people from more than 50 organizations statewide to better understand the problem and identify systems solutions to support the tens of thousands of Minnesota residents who depend on affordable rental housing. Together, we are charting a path forward to stabilize residents and the affordable rental housing industry.

Numerous Coalition members served as appointed members of the recent Task Force on Long-Term Sustainability of Affordable Housing, convened by the legislature. Through their participation, they also brought the voices of the larger Coalition into the six-month process. The Task Force culminated in a Final Report of Recommendations, which includes both legislative and administrative changes. The Coalition is actively working to support the implementation of the recommendations included in the Final Report and advance its own legislative agenda.