Yesterday, MPHA staff joined leaders from Ecumen, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and local officials to celebrate the grand opening of The Hillock, a 100-unit senior-designated affordable housing development in the Longfellow neighborhood. Eleven of the units are supported by MPHA’s Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) project-based vouchers, with MPHA providing federal housing assistance to 10 veterans earning 30% area median income (AMI) or below, and with one unit supporting a veteran earning up to 50% AMI.
“Imagine going from experiencing homelessness or living in shelters to living in a brand-new building with other veterans who uniquely understand what you have been through as your neighbors,” said Kristi Amend, MPHA’s VASH Housing Choice Voucher Technician. “Having 11 VASH vouchers at The Hillock will provide elderly veterans a safe, stable, and affordable home. But most importantly, it will provide them with a community of specialized support.”
“Ecumen and the great team at the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority have worked very closely to create quality affordable housing to a number of residents of The Hillock who otherwise would not have this option,” said Shelley Kendrick, president and CEO of Ecumen. “Our vision is that every older adult has a home with innovative services to live the life they choose. With this partnership and the VASH program, together we have created a place where the residents can proudly call home.”
“The Minneapolis HUD-VASH program is thrilled about the opening of the Hillock Senior Apartments. We worked closely with Minneapolis PHA and Ecumen for several years leading up to this grand opening. With 11 dedicated units for HUD-VASH Veterans, this is going to be an invaluable resource to house veterans who have experienced homelessness,” said Bridgette Gil, HUD-VASH Program Coordinator of the VA.
Established in 2008, the VASH program aims to provide housing assistance and support services to homeless veterans. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and VA work jointly to combine rental assistance vouchers, case management and supportive services (healthcare, mental health services, and employment support) to help veterans thrive. Through the program’s first decade, veterans facing homelessness fell 42% nationwide.
The VASH program offers two types of voucher tools: tenant-based and project-based vouchers (PBVs), mirroring MPHA’s more traditional voucher programs. The tenant-based voucher allows participants to find their own Section 8-eligible housing in the private market, whereas the PBV remains associated with specific units within housing developments serving Section 8-eligible populations.
Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing vouchers are just another tool MPHA uses to help address the incredible need for additional affordable housing in Minneapolis. The agency has had as many as 10,000 people across its various waiting lists seeking a safe, stable, affordable home through MPHA.
The challenge is great, but MPHA is committed to helping deliver the desperately needed deeply affordable housing in Minneapolis. Since 2019, MPHA PBVs have accounted for more than half of all deeply affordable homes built in Minneapolis. Further, the agency has committed to helping develop at least 150 new units of deeply affordable housing each year over the next five years as a part of the agency’s new, five-year strategic plan.
If MPHA is going to meet this ambitious goal and be a part of the region’s solution to its housing crisis, it will require both building and expanding partnerships like the one with the Hillock to ensure MPHA subsidies can continue to enable new deeply affordable units being built in Minneapolis.
