Dega Ali has worked directly with MPHA residents for over 20 years, but it wasn’t until last September that she was employed by the agency.

In 2004, as Dega wrapped up her final classes earning her bachelor’s degree in social work, she was encouraged to apply for a role with Volunteers of America (VOA). Despite being skeptical it would be a good fit, Dega applied and received a role as a social worker, working directly with MPHA high-rise residents. Dega didn’t know it would turn into nearly two decades of purpose-driven work.

Dega worked to help individuals navigate crisis, secure rent support, access mental health services, and connect with resources so they could stay safely housed. She saw first-hand MPHA’s all-of-the-above approach to keeping residents housed. She worked directly with MPHA staff to secure rent help through Hennepin County when residents needed support paying back-owed rent.

“I love that MPHA doesn’t just get people housed but they do everything they can to work directly with [VOA] to ensure people stay housed,” said Dega.

Over time, her responsibilities grew. Dega worked as a crisis team leader, ensuring any residents in crisis received proper support in the moment and follow up after the fact. Later, she was promoted to a program manager coordinating services and supporting residents facing urgent and complex challenges.

“MPHA provides the vital resource of home,” said Dega Ali, Assistant Property Manager at the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority. “At VOA, our main goal was to ensure MPHA residents kept their housing by offering mental health services, securing rent help, or really any services they might need to thrive in MPHA housing. We were there to support residents with whatever they needed.”

After working as a VOA social worker serving MPHA residents for 19 years, Dega took a break from working to focus on caring for her four sons for about a year. And when she was ready to return to the field, it was thanks to close ties with MPHA staff that Dega heard about a job opening on the Family Housing Operations team. Dega applied for and received an assistant property manager role in September 2025.

In Dega’s first week on the job, her email inbox was flooded with warm welcomes and messages of congratulation from MPHA staff she’d worked with alongside over the years through VOA.

“It’s like I never left,” said Dega. “The day I got hired my email was just flooded with emails from MPHA staff I had worked with for years. It was like coming home.”

As the assistant property manager, Dega supports family housing property management, namely the Glendale Townhomes and a handful of scattered site homes. She works closely with residents everyday listening to concerns, coordinating maintenances efforts, helps with office hours, minor lease violations, occupancy transfers, and reasonable accommodations.

“It has been a really natural transition settling into this role with MPHA because of my social work background,” said Dega. “My inclination is to serve people and with MPHA’s mission is to take care of residents, it is a good fit.”

Dega is dedicated to service residents well and her decades-long commitment to serving residents now continues as an MPHA assistant property manager.