Many and high are the hurdles that must be overcome to create housing that’s affordable to lower-income working families. So when the City of Edina approached the Metropolitan Council with financial resources last year, we were more than happy to team up.
Edina is known for its excellent schools, high-valued homes, easy access to highways and transit due to its geographic location, and its many shopping and dining opportunities. The city has also demonstrated a commitment to housing that meets the needs of working families, who want to be able to stay in or move to Edina.
In a partnership between the Met Council and Edina, the city will purchase a number of single-family homes, make sure they’re livable and up to code, and then lease them to us for $1. We will rent the homes to lower-income working families and oversee the day-to-day management of the properties under an existing contract.
City resources and Met Council housing program: a perfect fit
“Housing that’s safe and affordable is foundational to the ability of residents to be successful as individuals and families,” said Edina Mayor Jim Hovland. “We have $2 million to make housing available for our lower-income working residents; however, we don’t have the capacity to operate a rental program. That’s why we called on the Met Council for assistance and potential partnership.”
We already own eight Edina homes that we rent to participants in the project-based voucher program. “We have the infrastructure already to place to be able to rent and manage these properties and quickly identify families for placement,” said Metro HRA Director Terri Smith. “This is our business, it’s what we do. We’re thrilled to find one more avenue to assist families with their housing needs.”
Housing: a critical, basic human need
Molly Cummings represents the City of Edina on the Met Council. “It’s a great example of partnership and puts W’s in the win column,” said Cummings. “Given limited resources and a dire need, it shows innovation, creativity, and a commitment to helping to connect people with this critical, basic human necessity.”
We hope to have the home rentals in place during the first quarter of this year.
The Edina Community Profile has more information on the city’s population, jobs, economy, income, and housing.
Affordable housing measures for the region