Ray to lead new Housing Stability Division

Minnesota Housing is pleased to announce its first Assistant Commissioner of the newly created Housing Stability Division. Rinal Ray joins the Agency in her new role on August 9. 

Ray comes to Minnesota Housing from People Serving People, the largest and most comprehensive emergency shelter for families experiencing homelessness in Minnesota and a dedicated leader in preventing family homelessness. She has held numerous roles at the organization, most recently as CEO, a position she held since 2020.  

Previously Ray held positions as deputy public policy director at the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits and staff attorney at the Minnesota Justice Foundation. Ray earned her Juris Doctor degree at William Mitchell College of Law.  

The current Housing Stability Team allocates more state appropriations than any other team at Minnesota Housing and is poised to grow by nearly 300% in a combination of one-time and ongoing resources created in the current budget. The new Housing Stability Division will encompass the Housing Stability, Supportive Housing and RentHelpMN teams at the Agency.  

Having worked as an advocate for years, Ray says she was drawn to the position by the opportunity to continue to prevent the experience of homelessness as part of the Minnesota Housing team.  

Ray’s hire is the second addition of a new assistant commissioner to Minnesota Housing’s servant leadership team this year. This spring the Agency brought in Scott Beutel as Assistant Commissioner for Special Projects. He previously served as Assistant Commissioner at the Minnesota Department of Human Rights. Beutel supports high priority projects such as emergency rental assistance and the Family Homeless Prevention and Assistance Program (FHPAP).