Housing

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Helping existing residents remain in the corridor requires attention to market forces (e.g. rent increases) as well as the corridor’s fragile and finite supply of homes that remain affordable. Light rail projects naturally attract investment in new housing. Half of the Twin Cities region’s new affordable housing has been built near high-frequency transit since 2006, as has nearly 80% of the region’s deeply affordable housing.

Rental assistance and affordable housing developments can help residents meet rising costs and secure stable living conditions. Legal and counseling services empower residents by educating them about their rights and helping them navigate complex housing issues, while community land trusts ensure long-term affordability by removing land from the speculative market. By integrating financial support, legal protection, policy action, and strategic development, we aim to counteract the displacement pressures associated with large-scale infrastructure projects.


1. CONNECT people to anti-displacement efforts.

Focused Navigation & Outreach:

Hennepin County will contract with community-based organizations that operate in the corridor to provide outreach, services and support in partnership with county navigators. Partners will continue to target outreach through county navigators, community-based organizations, and community networks within the corridor as well as invest in marketing to connect people to services. Outreach partners will identify community members at risk of housing displacement and connect them with relevant programs.

Status: In place
Owner: Hennepin County
(Before, during and after construction)

2. PROVIDE financial and legal support.

Legal Services for Renters:

Residential renters facing an eviction action can be provided no-cost full legal representation by local government, increasing their chance to realize more favorable and timely outcomes. Hennepin County’s Adult Representation Services (ARS) currently offers legal services for renters at or below 150% of poverty facing evictions. Minneapolis has an ordinance affording free legal services for renters at or below 200% of poverty. In 2023, the Minnesota legislature codified the right to counsel for public housing tenants facing breach of lease cases; ARS funds and provides this representation in Hennepin County as well.

Status: In place in Hennepin County and Minneapolis, Under Consideration in other cities, may be eligible for ACPP funding
Owner: Hennepin County, Minneapolis
(Before, during and after construction)

Tenant Resources Connection (TRC):

A collaborative partnership supported by Hennepin County that quickly connects residential renters with referrals to a variety of legal, mediation, and employment services to ensure residents are able to stay in their home. They can also assist residents in applying for financial rent help. This comprehensive service is meant to provide support for residents facing immediate challenges that may impact their housing stability.

Status: In place, may be eligible for ACPP funding
Owner: Hennepin County, Community Partners
(Before, during and after construction)

Homebuyer Assistance and Downpayment Assistance (DPA):

Hennepin County and the cities of Minneapolis, Brooklyn Park, and Crystal fund homebuyer assistance programs that offer robust services to support homeowners, including homebuyer education courses, direct financial support in the form of zero to low-interest loans and grants to purchase or fix a home, and financial and legal support to avoid foreclosure. Homebuyer assistance programs can support residents staying within their neighborhoods by providing direct resources to people with low incomes to purchase homes.

Status: In place, may be eligible for ACPP funding
Owner: Hennepin County, Minneapolis, Brooklyn Park, Crystal
(Before, during and after construction)

Housing Cost Assistance:

Hennepin County or corridor cities could offer direct housing cost assistance for low-income homeowners or renters within a specified radius from the transit line to help residents remain in their homes who may face growing costs within the corridor. Philanthropic funding is being explored to support direct assistance.

Status: Under consideration, may be eligible for ACPP funding
Owner: TBD
(Before, during and after construction)

3. PRESERVE AND DEVELOP affordable housing.

Leverage Affordable Housing Preservation & Development Programs:

Using feedback from community engagement, partners will continue to learn about which regions of the corridor are facing the highest housing pressures and identify where there are opportunities to preserve or develop affordable housing. Existing programs will be targeted and adapted to preserve existing affordable housing and ensure that new housing developments meet the needs of community members.

Status: See section below for programs in place, may be eligible for ACPP funding
Owners: Metropolitan Council, Hennepin County, Minneapolis, Brooklyn Park
(Before, during and after construction)

4. INCREASE housing support and protections.
Implement and Advocate for Housing Support and Protections:

Existing programs offer baseline housing support and protections, but we know that changing market conditions are likely to increase pressure on homeowners and renters. Residents will need greater economic security and legal protections to increase the likelihood that they will be able to stay in their homes. Providing more support and protections will require jurisdictions to work together to provide funding and codify legal protections that support existing homeowners and renters. Various efforts are being considered for implementation and increased advocacy, which will require several years of sustained community engagement and partnership across jurisdictions to achieve.

Status: See section below, may be eligible for ACPP funding
Owners: Metropolitan Council, Hennepin County, Minneapolis
(Before, during and after construction)


Support for renters and homeowners

Financial Support and Housing Protections

In addition to providing resources for homeowners, the partners also understand the importance of supporting residents who rent their homes. A large proportion of corridor residents are low-income renters and may be vulnerable to displacement due to market pressures brought by light rail.

Zero to Low-Interest Loans:

Hennepin County, and the Cities of Minneapolis, Brooklyn Park, and Crystal offer zero to low-interest loans and grants for home and rental property improvements as well as for businesses to address commercial building issues.

Status: In Place, may be eligible for ACPP funding
Owners: Minneapolis, Brooklyn Park, Crystal, Hennepin County

Tenant Screening Reform:

Local and state governments can adopt and enforce prohibitions and limitations on tenant screening (TS) practices to protect renters of color and others who are already disadvantaged by market discrimination. Empirical evidence demonstrates how many commonly-used TS criteria (e.g. criminal, credit, and rental history) are proxies for applicant race and are unsupported as predictors of timely rent payments, quiet enjoyment of the rental property, and other stated objectives of landlords. These practices exclude certain rental applicants—especially those of color—from their desired neighborhood and from quality rental homes they were otherwise positioned to afford and sustain. Cities can adopt reforms to limit TS practices that prevent people from accessing housing within the corridor, while Hennepin County and MN Housing can limit TS practices within developments these agencies help to finance.

Status: In place in Minneapolis, Under consideration in other jurisdictions, may be eligible for ACPP funding
Owners: State of Minnesota, Hennepin County, Cities

Rent Stabilization:

Local governments can adopt and enforce limitations on increases to residential rents, usually structured on a percentage basis per year, often focused on evolving rental markets experiencing physical or economic changes. Minnesota statute preempts local policymaking on rent stabilization unless approved by voters, which requires that cities ask voters to authorize policies via ballot measure, then implement and enforce the policies.

Status: Under consideration, may be eligible for ACPP funding

Owners: Cities, State of Minnesota

Tenant Opportunity to Purchase (TOPA) or Right of First Refusal (ROFR):

Corridor cities could adopt a TOPA, ROFR, or similar policy to provide existing tenants of an impacted rental building, an organization representing the existing tenants, or a corridor city or public entity the first opportunity to purchase the property before it is offered for sale on the open market.

Status: Under consideration, may be eligible for ACPP funding
Owner: Cities

Local Relocation Assistance or Right to Return:

Cities along the alignment could adopt and enforce a relocation assistance and/or right-to-return policy that would support renters remaining in their neighborhoods. These policies usually require certain provisions that can include landlord assistance for certain "triggering events," such as rent increases, evictions, changes to leasing terms, and/or notices of non-renewal or eviction. These policies can be structured to provide displaced renter households the first opportunity to access new housing in the site or neighborhood they were displaced from.

Status: Under consideration, may be eligible for ACPP funding
Owner: Cities


Support for nonprofit and for-profit developers

Affordable Housing Preservation & Development Programs

Naturally-Occurring Affordable Housing (NOAH) Acquisition Funding:

Minneapolis’s NOAH Preservation Fund, Brooklyn Park’s NOAH Preservation Program, and Greater Minnesota Housing Fund’s NOAH Impact Fund (which receives funding from Hennepin County) provide funding to preserve naturally occurring affordable housing that is vulnerable to market speculation or rent increases.

Status: In place, may be eligible for ACPP funding
Owners: Minneapolis, Brooklyn Park, Greater Minnesota Housing Fund

Affordable Housing Preservation and Production (Development) Funding:

The Metropolitan Council’s Livable Communities Grants, Hennepin County’s Affordable Housing Incentive Fund, and Minneapolis’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund provide funds to support affordable housing preservation and production (development), which help to create more opportunities for residents to stay in their neighborhoods. The HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME) is a flexible federal grant program that allows Hennepin County to fund affordable housing production and preservation in suburban cities. Hennepin County’s Supportive Housing Strategy works with target populations and supportive housing developers to offer funding and technical assistance for affordable housing projects.

Status: In place, may be eligible for ACPP funding
Owners: Metropolitan Council, Hennepin County, Minneapolis

4d Affordable Housing Incentive:

A State Tax Incentive for property owners to offer affordable units by lowering their property taxes. This incentive supports the ongoing affordability of existing rental homes. The City of Minneapolis promotes participation by rental owners by helping to streamline the modification of tax status and by offering an additional incentive grant. Other jurisdictions are considering offering similar incentives in the future.

Status: In place throughout the corridor with additional supports and incentives offered in Minneapolis, with similar additional supports; Under consideration in other jurisdictions
Owner: State of Minnesota

Inclusionary Zoning:

Within new transit-oriented and other private development projects, local inclusionary zoning policies require a certain percentage of new units to be affordable to specific income levels.

Status: In place in Minneapolis and Brooklyn Park; Under consideration in other cities, may be eligible for ACPP funding
Owner: Cities

Limit Investor Ownership:

Proposed State legislation would limit investor acquisition and ownership of single-family homes (SFHs) and require divestment of portfolios larger than 10 homes. A growing body of local and national research demonstrates the growth of private equity firms targeting SFHs within disinvested U.S. metropolitan communities for operation as rental properties, at scales that often represent a large share of the housing stock. A large body of empirical evidence demonstrates how these entities crowd out first-time home buyers and perform poorly as landlords and property stewards, exposing renters to disproportionate rent increases, unreasonable fees, unsafe living spaces, and eviction filings.

Status: Under consideration, may be eligible for ACPP funding
Owner: State of Minnesota

Helping existing residents remain in the corridor requires attention to market forces (e.g. rent increases) as well as the corridor’s fragile and finite supply of homes that remain affordable. Light rail projects naturally attract investment in new housing. Half of the Twin Cities region’s new affordable housing has been built near high-frequency transit since 2006, as has nearly 80% of the region’s deeply affordable housing.

Rental assistance and affordable housing developments can help residents meet rising costs and secure stable living conditions. Legal and counseling services empower residents by educating them about their rights and helping them navigate complex housing issues, while community land trusts ensure long-term affordability by removing land from the speculative market. By integrating financial support, legal protection, policy action, and strategic development, we aim to counteract the displacement pressures associated with large-scale infrastructure projects.


1. CONNECT people to anti-displacement efforts.

Focused Navigation & Outreach:

Hennepin County will contract with community-based organizations that operate in the corridor to provide outreach, services and support in partnership with county navigators. Partners will continue to target outreach through county navigators, community-based organizations, and community networks within the corridor as well as invest in marketing to connect people to services. Outreach partners will identify community members at risk of housing displacement and connect them with relevant programs.

Status: In place
Owner: Hennepin County
(Before, during and after construction)

2. PROVIDE financial and legal support.

Legal Services for Renters:

Residential renters facing an eviction action can be provided no-cost full legal representation by local government, increasing their chance to realize more favorable and timely outcomes. Hennepin County’s Adult Representation Services (ARS) currently offers legal services for renters at or below 150% of poverty facing evictions. Minneapolis has an ordinance affording free legal services for renters at or below 200% of poverty. In 2023, the Minnesota legislature codified the right to counsel for public housing tenants facing breach of lease cases; ARS funds and provides this representation in Hennepin County as well.

Status: In place in Hennepin County and Minneapolis, Under Consideration in other cities, may be eligible for ACPP funding
Owner: Hennepin County, Minneapolis
(Before, during and after construction)

Tenant Resources Connection (TRC):

A collaborative partnership supported by Hennepin County that quickly connects residential renters with referrals to a variety of legal, mediation, and employment services to ensure residents are able to stay in their home. They can also assist residents in applying for financial rent help. This comprehensive service is meant to provide support for residents facing immediate challenges that may impact their housing stability.

Status: In place, may be eligible for ACPP funding
Owner: Hennepin County, Community Partners
(Before, during and after construction)

Homebuyer Assistance and Downpayment Assistance (DPA):

Hennepin County and the cities of Minneapolis, Brooklyn Park, and Crystal fund homebuyer assistance programs that offer robust services to support homeowners, including homebuyer education courses, direct financial support in the form of zero to low-interest loans and grants to purchase or fix a home, and financial and legal support to avoid foreclosure. Homebuyer assistance programs can support residents staying within their neighborhoods by providing direct resources to people with low incomes to purchase homes.

Status: In place, may be eligible for ACPP funding
Owner: Hennepin County, Minneapolis, Brooklyn Park, Crystal
(Before, during and after construction)

Housing Cost Assistance:

Hennepin County or corridor cities could offer direct housing cost assistance for low-income homeowners or renters within a specified radius from the transit line to help residents remain in their homes who may face growing costs within the corridor. Philanthropic funding is being explored to support direct assistance.

Status: Under consideration, may be eligible for ACPP funding
Owner: TBD
(Before, during and after construction)

3. PRESERVE AND DEVELOP affordable housing.

Leverage Affordable Housing Preservation & Development Programs:

Using feedback from community engagement, partners will continue to learn about which regions of the corridor are facing the highest housing pressures and identify where there are opportunities to preserve or develop affordable housing. Existing programs will be targeted and adapted to preserve existing affordable housing and ensure that new housing developments meet the needs of community members.

Status: See section below for programs in place, may be eligible for ACPP funding
Owners: Metropolitan Council, Hennepin County, Minneapolis, Brooklyn Park
(Before, during and after construction)

4. INCREASE housing support and protections.
Implement and Advocate for Housing Support and Protections:

Existing programs offer baseline housing support and protections, but we know that changing market conditions are likely to increase pressure on homeowners and renters. Residents will need greater economic security and legal protections to increase the likelihood that they will be able to stay in their homes. Providing more support and protections will require jurisdictions to work together to provide funding and codify legal protections that support existing homeowners and renters. Various efforts are being considered for implementation and increased advocacy, which will require several years of sustained community engagement and partnership across jurisdictions to achieve.

Status: See section below, may be eligible for ACPP funding
Owners: Metropolitan Council, Hennepin County, Minneapolis
(Before, during and after construction)


Support for renters and homeowners

Financial Support and Housing Protections

In addition to providing resources for homeowners, the partners also understand the importance of supporting residents who rent their homes. A large proportion of corridor residents are low-income renters and may be vulnerable to displacement due to market pressures brought by light rail.

Zero to Low-Interest Loans:

Hennepin County, and the Cities of Minneapolis, Brooklyn Park, and Crystal offer zero to low-interest loans and grants for home and rental property improvements as well as for businesses to address commercial building issues.

Status: In Place, may be eligible for ACPP funding
Owners: Minneapolis, Brooklyn Park, Crystal, Hennepin County

Tenant Screening Reform:

Local and state governments can adopt and enforce prohibitions and limitations on tenant screening (TS) practices to protect renters of color and others who are already disadvantaged by market discrimination. Empirical evidence demonstrates how many commonly-used TS criteria (e.g. criminal, credit, and rental history) are proxies for applicant race and are unsupported as predictors of timely rent payments, quiet enjoyment of the rental property, and other stated objectives of landlords. These practices exclude certain rental applicants—especially those of color—from their desired neighborhood and from quality rental homes they were otherwise positioned to afford and sustain. Cities can adopt reforms to limit TS practices that prevent people from accessing housing within the corridor, while Hennepin County and MN Housing can limit TS practices within developments these agencies help to finance.

Status: In place in Minneapolis, Under consideration in other jurisdictions, may be eligible for ACPP funding
Owners: State of Minnesota, Hennepin County, Cities

Rent Stabilization:

Local governments can adopt and enforce limitations on increases to residential rents, usually structured on a percentage basis per year, often focused on evolving rental markets experiencing physical or economic changes. Minnesota statute preempts local policymaking on rent stabilization unless approved by voters, which requires that cities ask voters to authorize policies via ballot measure, then implement and enforce the policies.

Status: Under consideration, may be eligible for ACPP funding

Owners: Cities, State of Minnesota

Tenant Opportunity to Purchase (TOPA) or Right of First Refusal (ROFR):

Corridor cities could adopt a TOPA, ROFR, or similar policy to provide existing tenants of an impacted rental building, an organization representing the existing tenants, or a corridor city or public entity the first opportunity to purchase the property before it is offered for sale on the open market.

Status: Under consideration, may be eligible for ACPP funding
Owner: Cities

Local Relocation Assistance or Right to Return:

Cities along the alignment could adopt and enforce a relocation assistance and/or right-to-return policy that would support renters remaining in their neighborhoods. These policies usually require certain provisions that can include landlord assistance for certain "triggering events," such as rent increases, evictions, changes to leasing terms, and/or notices of non-renewal or eviction. These policies can be structured to provide displaced renter households the first opportunity to access new housing in the site or neighborhood they were displaced from.

Status: Under consideration, may be eligible for ACPP funding
Owner: Cities


Support for nonprofit and for-profit developers

Affordable Housing Preservation & Development Programs

Naturally-Occurring Affordable Housing (NOAH) Acquisition Funding:

Minneapolis’s NOAH Preservation Fund, Brooklyn Park’s NOAH Preservation Program, and Greater Minnesota Housing Fund’s NOAH Impact Fund (which receives funding from Hennepin County) provide funding to preserve naturally occurring affordable housing that is vulnerable to market speculation or rent increases.

Status: In place, may be eligible for ACPP funding
Owners: Minneapolis, Brooklyn Park, Greater Minnesota Housing Fund

Affordable Housing Preservation and Production (Development) Funding:

The Metropolitan Council’s Livable Communities Grants, Hennepin County’s Affordable Housing Incentive Fund, and Minneapolis’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund provide funds to support affordable housing preservation and production (development), which help to create more opportunities for residents to stay in their neighborhoods. The HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME) is a flexible federal grant program that allows Hennepin County to fund affordable housing production and preservation in suburban cities. Hennepin County’s Supportive Housing Strategy works with target populations and supportive housing developers to offer funding and technical assistance for affordable housing projects.

Status: In place, may be eligible for ACPP funding
Owners: Metropolitan Council, Hennepin County, Minneapolis

4d Affordable Housing Incentive:

A State Tax Incentive for property owners to offer affordable units by lowering their property taxes. This incentive supports the ongoing affordability of existing rental homes. The City of Minneapolis promotes participation by rental owners by helping to streamline the modification of tax status and by offering an additional incentive grant. Other jurisdictions are considering offering similar incentives in the future.

Status: In place throughout the corridor with additional supports and incentives offered in Minneapolis, with similar additional supports; Under consideration in other jurisdictions
Owner: State of Minnesota

Inclusionary Zoning:

Within new transit-oriented and other private development projects, local inclusionary zoning policies require a certain percentage of new units to be affordable to specific income levels.

Status: In place in Minneapolis and Brooklyn Park; Under consideration in other cities, may be eligible for ACPP funding
Owner: Cities

Limit Investor Ownership:

Proposed State legislation would limit investor acquisition and ownership of single-family homes (SFHs) and require divestment of portfolios larger than 10 homes. A growing body of local and national research demonstrates the growth of private equity firms targeting SFHs within disinvested U.S. metropolitan communities for operation as rental properties, at scales that often represent a large share of the housing stock. A large body of empirical evidence demonstrates how these entities crowd out first-time home buyers and perform poorly as landlords and property stewards, exposing renters to disproportionate rent increases, unreasonable fees, unsafe living spaces, and eviction filings.

Status: Under consideration, may be eligible for ACPP funding
Owner: State of Minnesota

Page last updated: 26 Sep 2024, 01:45 PM