Metro HRA Rental Assistance

Metro HRA

The Metropolitan Council’s Housing and Redevelopment Authority, known as Metro HRA, provides housing for more than 7,200 households throughout Anoka, Carver, and suburban Hennepin and Ramsey counties in the Twin Cities region.

Metro HRA’s mission is to provide decent, safe and affordable housing opportunities; to encourage housing choice throughout the region including areas of high opportunity; to foster family stability and promote self-sufficiency for people with low wealth.

Attention landlords, property owners, and voucher holders: Effective Oct. 1, 2025, National Standards for the Physical Inspection of Real Estate (NSPIRE) will be used to inspect housing units and properties of tenants using a Housing Choice Voucher, formally known as Section 8. NSPIRE inspections focus on deficiencies deemed to be the most important indicators of housing quality. Learn about the updated changes from current HQS standards to NSPIRE, so you have a good understanding of what to expect:

Housing Choice Voucher program (Section 8)

Metro HRA is the largest administrator of the Housing Choice Voucher Program in the state of Minnesota. The program partners with private rental market landlords to provide affordable housing opportunities for households in the region. Participants pay a minimum of 30% of their income toward their rent and the HRA pays the remaining to the property owner. The Metro HRA serves nearly 100 communities in Anoka, Carver, and most of suburban Hennepin and Ramsey Counties - see map (PDF).

The Housing Choice Voucher program uses the existing private rental market and provides payments to private landlords on behalf of low-income renters. Participating property owners are guaranteed a stable source of rental income.

Families may rent any type of housing in the Metro HRA service area from participating property owners. Eligible households pay 30% to 40% of their incomes for rent, and Metro HRA pays the remainder, within established rent guidelines.

All of Metro HRA's federally subsidized housing vouchers are in use and helping low-income families pay rent. However, there are other metro-area agencies that administer housing programs and provide assistance to people seeking affordable housing. See HousingLink, Minnesota's primary source for affordable housing-related openings, data, and information.

Waiting list

The Metro HRA waiting list is currently closed.

Online applications were available June 22 - 28, 2022. 2,000 applicants were randomly selected and placed on the Metro HRA’s Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Waiting List. Results of the Metro HRA lottery have been posted to www.waitlistcheck.com. You will need to enter your username and password to view your status.

More information

Metro HRA project-based voucher program 2023 offer and award

Metro HRA issued a request for proposals for Mainstream and Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing Project-Based Vouchers.

Community Choice Demonstration Program

The Metro HRA will be recruiting and enrolling households eligible to participate in the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD), Community Choice Demonstration from the Housing Choice Voucher waiting list. Nine sites across the nation were selected by HUD in April 2021 to build upon research that shows growing up in neighborhoods with lower levels of poverty improves children’s academic achievement and long-term chances of successes and reduces intergenerational poverty.

Study enrollment will begin in August 2022 and conclude no later than April 2027. Eligible households will be contacted by the Metro HRA.

PHA Plan and Administrative Plan

We are taking public comment on the proposed 2023 Public Housing Agency (PHA) Plan. The PHA Plan is a guide to public housing agency policies, programs, operations, and strategies for meeting the housing needs of very low and extremely low-income households. The plan is intended to be a convenient source of information for program participants, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and the general public. The plan is prepared according to the format required by HUD.