Expanding Access to Housing Choice in Minneapolis

While just one in four eligible U.S. households receive rental assistance, those who are able to secure a Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) pay 30% of their income toward rent and the voucher covers the balance. HCV participation remains concentrated in a few neighborhoods in the Twin Cities region.

Family Housing Fund commissioned Quadel Consulting and Training on behalf of the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority (MPHA) to assess their HCV program administration and identify strategies to maximize resident choice and mobility. This assessment reviews national best practices to highlight how other Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) have addressed barriers to create effective mobility options. It cites several challenges MPHA faces and proposes 38 recommendations for MPHA, including utiizing project-based vouchers as a strategy to expand housing opportunities, reviewing administrative policies, improving communications between MPHA and property owners, and establishing collaborative relationships with regional partners.

While these recommendations focus specifically on the City of Minneapolis, they are adaptable throughout the broader Twin Cities region.

MPHA released a response to these recommendations in March 2017.

This study was a piece of Family Housing Fund’s body of work surrounding the HCV program.