In a push for expanding housing options for low-income families, the Metropolitan Council has taken decisive action to allocate 32 project-based housing vouchers across five suburban metro communities, as per a recent announcement. This initiative targets households earning 50% or less of the area median income, with a special focus on aiding veterans and those currently experiencing homelessness.
Out of the total number of vouchers, 20 are set aside as mainstream vouchers for eligible households grappling with homelessness, while a dozen are specifically earmarked for veterans in similar circumstances. "The region has a large need for more affordable housing, especially for households with the lowest incomes," said Terri Smith, director of the Met Council's housing and redevelopment authority, Metro HRA, in a statement obtained by Metro Council. She emphasized the federal subsidies' role in enhancing the quality of housing, which is often in proximity to essential services and amenities.
Amongst the beneficiaries of this new allocation are existing developments and new construction projects in Anoka, Brooklyn Center, Carver, Maple Grove, and Maplewood. This is in addition to the 50-plus developments that the Metro HRA already has a contract with, providing close to a thousand project-based voucher units.
One of the standout projects is the Nolte River Place in Anoka, a senior housing establishment with 80 units, which has received five veterans housing vouchers. Similarly, Project for Pride in Living BC Family Housing in Brooklyn Center is set to receive five mainstream vouchers, reinforcing Project for Pride in Living's partnership with Phumulani, Inc. to curb domestic violence and sexual abuse. Carver Oaks Senior Residence will benefit from seven veterans' housing vouchers for its proposed 43-unit development. Bottineau Ridge Phase II in Maple Grove, completed in 2019, will also receive five mainstream vouchers. Lastly, Beacon Interfaith Housing Collaborative's Gladstone Crossing in Maplewood is awarded ten vouchers to aid young families at or at risk of homelessness with sizable units.
A milestone in their commitment to affordable housing, the Met Council's structured selection process for awarding these vouchers looked at various criteria, including readiness and range of housing types, as well as the pivotal inclusion of support services. Metro HRA, identified as Minnesota's premier administrator of the federal Housing Choice Voucher program, manages nearly 7,300 vouchers in an extensive region encompassing Anoka, Carver, and a majority of suburban Hennepin and Ramsey counties.
