Increase Access to Rental Assistance
Rental assistance is the most direct approach to making housing affordable, but access is difficult, limited to certain populations and confusing to navigate. Although Minnesota added a new rental assistance program (often referred to as Bring It Home) that is anticipated to add roughly 4,000 more vouchers, demand for the assistance will continue to grossly outstrip the supply. In addition to the new rental assistance program, Minnesota has roughly 40,000 vouchers for renter households, while another 215,000 households with very low incomes currently have rents that are unaffordable. In addition, a voucher does not guarantee success in finding a unit in today’s competitive rental market. People experiencing domestic violence are not gaining quick access and as a result are missing opportunities for housing stability. In addition, 42% of renters served by the Metro HRA who started receiving a Housing Choice Voucher in 2022 were unable to find a home to use it. With low vacancy rates in some markets and multiple people competing for an available home, landlords can be selective, and some refuse to rent to people with vouchers.
Key Metrics
Increase the number of households receiving rental assistance from Minnesota Housing with an emphasis on Indigenous, Black and people of color (coming soon)
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