New state-funded housing voucher waitlist opens for Minneapolis families

New state-funded housing voucher waitlist opens for Minneapolis families KaMaria Braye KSTP New state-funded housing voucher waitlist opens for Minneapolis families Minneapolis families struggling to afford rent can now apply for a chance to receive assistance through a new state-funded housing voucher program.The Minneapolis Public Housing Authority, or MPHA, opened its waitlist Tuesday for the state’s Bring It Home program, a rental assistance initiative modeled after the federal Housing Choice Voucher, or Section 8, program.According to MPHA, more than 500 people had already applied on the first day applications became available. The waitlist remains open through Oct. 15.The application period marks the first time since 2019 that MPHA has opened a public housing voucher waitlist.Abdi Warsame, MPHA’s executive director and CEO, said limited funding kept the agency from opening the list sooner.The program comes as many Minnesotans continue struggling to find and afford stable housing.“It just feels like you’re stuck because you have to go from here to there to stay,” said Stephanie Hopson, who said she has experienced housing instability while searching for assistance.Hopson described the housing search as difficult.“Housing is terrible,” Hopson said. “It’s very bad.”Warsame said rising costs continue to create challenges for families across the city.“It’s livability, it’s affordability, it’s the cost of living,” Warsame said.MPHA received a two-year, $21 million state grant to administer the Bring It Home Program in Minneapolis. The agency estimates the grant could support the equivalent of 600 to 800 vouchers over the life of the program.Officials said the vouchers work similarly to the federal Section 8 program. Households generally pay about 30% of their income toward rent, while the voucher covers the remaining eligible housing costs.“At a time when our city and region face an affordable housing crisis, this new program is going to take the burden off countless households,” Warsame said.Before opening applications to the public, MPHA first offered Bring It Home vouchers to households already on existing federal waiting lists. After working through those applicants, the agency estimated it still had funding available for about 300 to 350 new tenant-based vouchers.Applying for the program does not guarantee a voucher.Instead, applicants are entering a lottery for a chance to be added to the waitlist. MPHA estimates as many as 1,500 households could ultimately be added to that list.Warsame said the demand highlights the need for additional investment in housing assistance programs.“We do need more help, and we do need more support from our state and our county and our city and our federal government,” Warsame said.He shared who will be prioritized on the waitlist.“The priority will be families with households of children under the age of 18, and that they have to be at or below 30% area median income,” Warsame said.Applicants must live in Minnesota, pay more than 30% of their household income toward rent and not currently receive federal Section 8 assistance. The vouchers can only be used in Minneapolis.Warsame said the program is intended to do more than help pay rent.“I mean, it means a lot. I mean, just if you look at children, right, for example, the number one indicator of graduating from high school is having a roof over your head,” Warsame said. “Not the school that you went to, not how wonderful your teachers are, not how wonderful your parents are, but having a roof over your head is the number one indicator for success just to graduate from school.”Applicants selected for the waitlist will be notified through MPHA’s RentCafe portal by Nov. 1.According to program guidance from Minnesota Housing, the state requires reporting, monitoring and oversight of the program, including tracking waitlists, vouchers issued, denials and participant data.Click here to apply.MPHA to open housing voucher waitlistDownload