Housing Policy and Production Survey

About the survey

​The Housing Policy and Production Survey (HPPS) is an annual survey that tracks local efforts to create affordable housing opportunities in the region. The survey collects information on new development and preservation of affordable units, as well as local housing policy, programs and service implementation, and other plans to meet housing needs.

Information is collected from city and township staff via an online survey. The data is useful for understanding how cities are addressing their housing needs and working towards their goals.

Information collected through the survey

The survey collects data and information on a variety of affordable housing topics and local activities.

This includes information on local activities in the following categories:

• Housing construction, preservation, rehabilitation of affordable units 
• Local spending on housing-related activities (also known as Local Affordable and Life-Cycle Housing Opportunities Amount  or ALHOA spending)* 
• Households served by homeownership programs
• Locally adopted housing programs, policies, and ordinances
• Shelter and supportive housing stock
• Housing Action Plan narrative questions that describe how communities are meeting their housing goals outlined in their comprehensive plans* 

*Requirement for Livable Communities Act grant program eligibility
 

Why local governments complete the survey

The survey provides information for cities and townships to meet different Met Council requirements, as well as data on relevant housing topics for the region. Cities and townships complete the survey to:

1. Maintain eligibility in the Livable Communities Act (LCA) grant programs. Cities and townships are required to report annual local spending on housing-related efforts (also known as ALHOA spending), as well as complete Housing Action Plan questions within the survey.
2. Earn credit towards the local government's Land Guided for Affordable Housing (LGAH) requirement for the construction of new affordable housing units. Local governments are required to guide a sufficient number of acres at high enough densities to accommodate their local Allocation of Affordable Housing Need and new homes reported in the survey show progress toward meeting that need.
3. Contribute to a regional housing perspective. The Met Council and other state and local partners rely on survey data to fulfill statutory requirements, to make regional planning and policy decisions, direct Met Council technical assistance efforts, and share affordable housing successes across the region.