Last Friday, MPHA staff joined the Native American Community Clinic (NACC) and Wellington Management to celebrate the groundbreaking of a new mixed-use development bringing 83 affordable housing units to the American Indian Cultural Corridor. MPHA is supporting 16 of the 83 units through project-based vouchers (PBVs), making the units available exclusively to residents making no more than 30 percent of Area Median Income (AMI), otherwise known as “deeply affordable.” Of the 16 MPHA-supported units, nine are three-bedroom and seven are four-bedroom units for families.
“MPHA is proud to be supporting this innovative project through project-based vouchers,” said Dominic Mitchell, Deputy Executive Director of the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority. “Addressing our region’s affordable housing crisis requires partnerships like the Native American Community Clinic to build the deeply affordable units Minneapolis needs.”
This South Minneapolis project integrates on-site housing with a robust clinic, ensuring families have both stable housing and healthcare access. The 83-unit development will offer most units to households making up to 50 percent of AMI with 33 units designated for households making under 30 percent AMI. The remaining units will be available to households making up to 60 percent of AMI. Additionally, 20 units will be reserved for individuals with disabilities or those who have experienced homelessness.
The housing development is made up of one-, two-, three-, and four-bedroom units. Building amenities include a 30,000 square feet of health clinic offering medical, behavioral health, dental, substance use and administrative services, a community plaza for ceremony and cultural use, a rooftop garden, a children’s play area, and outdoor gathering spaces.
“This is a first-of-its-kind project that brings together deeply affordable housing and comprehensive health care in a way that is unapologetically Indigenous,” said Antony Stately, Executive Officer of the Native American Community Clinic. “We’re creating a space rooted in belonging and wellness, where families can access stability and care in one location. The Minneapolis Public Housing Authority’s early support and commitment of project-based vouchers made this vision possible and laid the foundation for long-term sustainability. This partnership ensures the development will remain a resource for our community for generations to come.”
Project-based vouchers are among the most effective tools MPHA has to help build new and sustain deeply affordable housing in Minneapolis. The PBV program is a HUD-funded housing subsidy program that ties the federal rental assistance directly to a specific unit. This differs from the traditional tenant-based Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program, which is connected to an eligible household. Since 2019, MPHA project-based vouchers have accounted for more than half of all deeply affordable homes built in our city. Last year, MPHA awarded 189 of these vouchers to projects, while 202 previously awarded project-based units came online.
In 2003, the NACC, a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) and 501(c)(3) non-profit, opened to address the health disparities experienced by the urban American Indian community of the Twin Cities. Now, NACC is expanding its culturally focused health clinic and increasing supply of affordable housing at a range of incomes, from homeless populations to working families.
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The agency welcomes interested builders or developers to contact (pbvrfp@mplspha.org) to inquire about the benefits of PBVs, the RFP and bidding process, as well as how PBVs are awarded. MPHA’s Project-Based Voucher Request for Proposal is currently closed but the agency encourages questions and comments year-round.
