Yesterday, members of Minneapolis’ state legislative delegation introduced numerous bills aimed at bolstering MPHA’s work supporting low-income families in Minneapolis. The first, SF TBA/HF 4901, would invest $7 million in Housing Infrastructure Bonds (HIBs) in MPHA’s upcoming Glendale Townhomes construction project. The second, SF TBA/HF 4895, would invest $2 million a biennium to support MPHA expanding its nationally recognized Stable Homes Stable Schools (SHSS) program.

Senator Doron Clark and Representative Mohamud Noor are leading SF TBA/HF 4901, while Senator Clark and Representative Samantha Sencer-Mura are leading SF TBA/HF 4895.

“Glendale and Stable Homes Stable Schools have served as a lifeline for thousands of low-income families since their inception,” said Abdi Warsame, Executive Director/CEO of the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority. “With these new investments, MPHA could provide housing stability to hundreds more low-income families for years to come. I am thankful to the leadership of Senator Clark and Representatives Noor and Sencer-Mura for recognizing the importance of investing in proven solutions to help address our state’s housing affordability crisis.”

Glendale Townhomes
Nestled in the Prospect Park neighborhood, more than 2,000 families have called Glendale home since it was built in 1952. Today, nearly 600 low-income residents enjoy the nearby Luxton Park, Head Start, and Green Line LRT at Glendale. However, following decades of compounded federal disinvestment in public housing, Glendale’s capital backlog is estimated at more than $22 million (with MPHA’s entire capital backlog estimated at $290 million). Glendale needs a major capital infusion to preserve this vibrant community.

Since 2024, MPHA staff have met with Glendale residents to discuss what improvements they would prioritize with any future construction project. From these conversations, residents have identified 11 priorities to guide MPHA’s planning work for the site. Agency staff have presented residents with potential project approaches, centering these priorities, including large-scale renovation options along with more comprehensive redevelopment approaches that could include new homes in addition to rebuilding the existing 184 homes.

Earlier this winter, MPHA named both an architect and general contractor/consultant to continue moving the planning work at Glendale forward, including additional resident engagement work this spring to help inform the project approach ultimately selected.  Regardless of approach, MPHA will likely employ a two-phase approach at the site due to the anticipated magnitude of capital investment and the agency’s desire to accommodate on-site relocation to the greatest extent feasible. This will also allow the project’s full financing needs to be spread over several years to better align to the limited annual availability of affordable housing funding resources in the state and region.

As MPHA staff, architects, and construction teams continue to work with Glendale residents, agency staff have begun outlining the various financial tools MPHA will need to use in any future Glendale construction project. In addition to MPHA using similar financial tools as it has with the Elliot Twins, Family Housing Expansion, and Spring Manor projects, Glendale will require an even greater amount of federal, state, and local funding support. And the viability of this future project will require each funding award to meet or exceed expectations.

The $7 million in HIBs sought by SF TBA/HF 4901 will support the financing necessary to advance the first phase of the Glendale project and ensure MPHA can achieve the late 2027/early 2028 groundbreaking the agency is currently targeting at Glendale.

Stable Homes Stable Schools
Stable Homes Stable Schools is a pioneering partnership between MPHA, the City of Minneapolis, Hennepin County, and Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) working to improve school stability rates and educational outcomes by preventing and ending homelessness among families with elementary-aged children in Minneapolis. The program improves academic success and classroom continuity by combining short- and medium-term homelessness prevention assistance with multi-year rental support and wraparound services, creating a layered approach to housing stability for families.

Since 2019, SHSS has offered two tiers of support.

• Housing Stabilization (Eviction Prevention): helps kids focus on school by keeping families in their current homes with emergency short- and medium-term support including but not limited to, back pay of rent, transportation assistance, or other housing-related expenses.
• Housing Placement and Support (Intervention): includes multi-year rent assistance and wraparound services to help families escape or avoid homelessness and receive assistance in securing stable, long-term affordable housing.

Since SHSS’ inception in 2019, the program has supported more than 2,600 families, representing more than 7,300 children*. Additionally, the program has become a nationally recognized success, serving as a model for other localities, most recently Denver.

Following the City of Minneapolis increasing its annual SHSS funding to $3.6 million last December, the program is currently serving an estimated 330 families across both tiers of support (representing an estimated 910 children). However, there remains a significant unmet need for housing supportive services within MPS.

Currently, MPS estimates there are nearly 5,900 students eligible for Free and Reduced Lunch—all of whom would be income-eligible for SHSS support. With additional funding, MPHA can reach these children.

Senate File TBA/House File 4895 would direct a $2 million biannual investment in SHSS via Minnesota Housing’s Homework Starts with Home (HSWH) Program. Stable Homes Stable Schools has previously won one-time HSWH awards, but with SHSS’ continued success and growth, MPHA leaders are seeking permanent, ongoing state funding to join annual investments from MPHA, the City of Minneapolis, and Hennepin County to continue SHSS’ expansion.

As one of the state’s largest multi-jurisdictional partnerships working to help students achieve academic success by obtaining and maintaining stable housing, there are few if any programs in Minnesota that remotely rival SHSS’ scale and success in this work. An ongoing, biannual $2 million investment from Minnesota would enable SHSS to serve an estimated additional 250 families per year with Housing Stabilization (representing an estimated 750 children per year).

In the weeks ahead, MPHA leaders will work with bill authors and housing committee chairs in both the House of Representatives and Senate to secure hearings for these bills, moving them forward for consideration as the legislature works to craft a supplemental budget and/or bonding bill.

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2026 MPHA Glendale Bonding & Child Homelessness Funding Request Presentation

*As of January 1, 2026.