Today, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Councilmember Jamison Whiting joined MPHA leaders to celebrate the completion of its newest family housing—an all-electric triplex and duplex in two South Minneapolis neighborhoods. The two multiplexes were enabled by the Minneapolis 2040 Plan and funded, in part, by the city’s housing tax levy providing $1.25 million in funding. These new multiplexes join MPHA’s portfolio of nearly 800 deeply affordable scattered site family homes spread across nearly every neighborhood in the city.

“Today we celebrate that five families will have brand new, affordable places to call home and raise their children,” said Abdi Warsame, Executive Director/CEO of the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority. “Leasing these units will begin next month, with the goal of having families moved in by early September, just in time for the school year. I want to thank Mayor Frey and the entire Minneapolis City Council for their continued support of MPHA, including the city’s $5 million housing levy that gets reinvested right back into our community with projects like this.”

“Minneapolis has made it easier to build the kinds of homes our city needs, and today we’re seeing those policies deliver real results,” said Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. “The Minneapolis 2040 Plan gave us the tools to replace outdated single-family homes with more homes for more families, and the city’s housing levy helps make those projects a reality. Together, we’re expanding deeply affordable housing, strengthening neighborhoods, and ensuring Minneapolis remains a city where families of all incomes can put down roots.”

“I couldn’t be happier to see the continued creation of affordable, accessible housing in South Minneapolis,” said Minneapolis Councilmember Jamison Whiting. “Construction of this kind and caliber is an essential piece of the puzzle for addressing the dual housing availability and climate crises. I am proud that the Windom neighborhood is part of that work and look forward to more in the next four years.”

This project completion comes just nine months after celebrating its groundbreaking last October. With a projected 11-month construction timeline, this project was completed ahead of schedule while remaining on budget. The agency will begin leasing the five new family units in August, with the goal of having families moved in by early September.

Located in the Windom neighborhood, the triplex replaced a single-family home MPHA owned that had long been vacant because of a major deferred maintenance capital backlog. Because of the extensive improvement needed at the site, agency staff opted to take advantage of the city’s zoning code to build a new triplex instead of just rehabilitating the existing home. Now, the site offers three new family homes with two four-bedroom, two-bathroom units and one two-bedroom, one-bathroom unit. One four-bedroom and the two-bedroom unit are fully accessible.

Located in the Regina neighborhood, the duplex is replacing a previously vacant single-family home. The new duplex includes a four-bedroom, two-bathroom unit that is fully accessible and a two-bedroom, one-bathroom unit. Both the triplex and duplex are all-electric and energy efficient. Both buildings are highly insulated, utilize air source heat pumps for heating and cooling, have energy recovery ventilators that improve indoor air quality, and are equipped with rooftop solar arrays.

The new triplex and duplex join the agency’s portfolio of nearly 800 deeply affordable family homes scattered across nearly every neighborhood in Minneapolis through its wholly owned and controlled nonprofit, Community Housing Resources (CHR). These homes serve more than 3,300 people and account for more than 80 percent of the MPHA housing available for families with children. Sixty percent of CHR households are families of five or more—families with children.

These family homes are also a proven tool to help families achieve upward economic mobility. Of the current heads of household, 34 percent were employed when entering their new home. On average, these residents earned $29,942 a year in income. Today, 66 percent of these residents are employed, earning an average of $54,293 a year, with more than 54 percent of these residents’ earned income increasing while in these homes. Better yet, since 2020, 15 percent of all families leaving scattered site homes have gone on to purchase their own homes.

With more than 3,500 families on the agency’s family housing waitlist, these new multiplexes are critical pieces of city infrastructure that will help meet the need for deeply affordable family housing in Minneapolis.

Building photography and photos from the completion celebration event can be downloaded here.