Over the past year, the Minneapolis Highrise Representative Council (MHRC) has been revitalized with new leadership, an expanded team, and a renewed focus on its mission. Following the retirement of numerous long-time staff in recent years, the MHRC Board of Directors appointed Ryan Vasquez as the organization’s new Executive Director in September 2025. The MHRC board also reorganized the organization’s staffing, creating new on-the-ground roles to improve responsiveness to resident concerns and better support resident councils in MPHA’s 42 high-rises.

For more than 40 years, MHRC has advocated for more than 5,000 MPHA high-rise residents. The organization voices high-rise resident concerns to public officials, service providers, and MPHA while also working to ensure resident voices are reflected in MPHA’s plans and policies. Additionally, MHRC supports resident councils in MPHA’s high-rises. Resident councils provide feedback to MPHA building managers, oversee building laundry room operations, and coordinate building events to help strengthen social connections between residents.

“Residents know that they own this organization,” said Ryan Vasquez, Executive Director of the Minneapolis Highrise Representative Council. “They see MHRC as a manifestation of residents’ voices coming together. Often residents come to us first with their concerns, and that’s an honor.”

Of the five new staff members, two have previously served MPHA residents through service partner roles. Tracy Thoraldson, serving as community organizer for the North and Northeast buildings, comes from East Side Neighborhood Services. Sahra Shireh, the new Southside community organizer, previously worked at Volunteers of America assisting MPHA residents as a community service worker. These new team members join Britta Moen, Lead Community Organizer, Gretta Obeid, Administrative Assistant, and Laura Murphy, Operations Director, to round out the full team. Together, this team will leverage lived experience and existing resident relationships to support resident councils, encourage cross-cultural connection, and be strong advocates for public housing residents.

“As community organizers, we are here to support residents with ground organizing,” said Sahra Shireh, Community Organizer at the Minneapolis Highrise Representative Council. “Our goal is to help unite the buildings, helping residents connect with each other and build a stronger community.”

With the new team set, MHRC is looking to greatly enhance resident programming that has struggled to return since the pandemic. One top of the team’s top priorities is to reinvigorate Project Lookout.

Project Lookout is a resident-led safety program that stations resident volunteers throughout buildings to supplement MPHA security teams. Resident volunteers help ensure guests sign in when visiting, monitor package pick-ups, and patrol buildings’ halls and campuses to report security incidents or concerns.

Currently, Project Lookout operates at 12 high-rises, with two additional buildings launching in the coming weeks. With safety/security often cited as MPHA residents’ top concern, MHRC is focused on expanding and improving this successful program with new funding from the Minneapolis City Council to help recruit residents to be a part of the solution in their community.

Additionally, MHRC will capitalize on the excitement of the successful mini grant program, organized last year by the Highrise Health Alliance with one-time grant funding. The program encouraged connection and sparked joy across MPHA high-rises, supporting resident-led building events and projects. MHRC will continue this community building momentum as it reenergizes building resident councils.

With resident council elections coming up in May, MPHA residents are encouraged to help shape their community’s future by volunteering to join their building’s resident council. Supported by a rejuvenated MHRC, the next generation of MPHA resident leaders will have an opportunity to expand connection and community among public housing residents across MPHA’s 42 high-rises across the city.