Housing Policies & Planning

Planning for expanded housing opportunities

Everyone needs decent housing they can afford, and planning for those needs is a first step in creating opportunities to strengthen families, communities and the regional economy. The Council works with local governments to identify and plan for their future affordable housing needs.

Livable Communities Program

The Council’s Livable Communities program awards grants to cities to help clean up polluted sites for redevelopment, expand affordable housing opportunities and build pedestrian-friendly and transit-oriented developments. More about how Livable Communities supports affordable housing in the region.

Metro HRA

The Metropolitan Council Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA) assists low-income seniors, singles, families, and persons with disabilities to obtain decent and affordable housing in nearly 100 cities throughout Anoka, Carver, and most of suburban Hennepin and Ramsey Counties. As a regional entity, Metro HRA provides an efficient method for effective delivery of a variety of housing programs and related services. As a recipient of federal U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funds, Metro HRA creates annual and 5-year plans for service delivery.

Corridors of Opportunity

The Corridors of Opportunity initiative is a broad coalition of government, nonprofits and foundations that partners with communities and neighborhoods to provide funds to increase housing close to rail and transit that is affordable and energy efficient. These grants spur predevelopment efforts for high-density residential and commercial centers - transit-oriented development (TOD) - along transit corridors in the region. Housing activities in the corridors focus on strategies for corridor-wide TOD and investments in affordable housing and TOD.