Preston EDA, Housing Committee and Minnesota Housing Partnership working together

The Minnesota Housing Partnership (MHP) Housing Institute Round 7 will officially commence on July 28, 2020, with a synchronous online meeting starting at 2 p.m. central time. COVID-19 has created new circumstances, but local housing needs remain and in fact have been amplified in many rural MN communities. MHP is committed, more than ever, to provide the necessary support to help community teams develop the strategic focus to implement specific housing projects or programs needed to address challenges in their community. MHP staff provide technical assistance to Housing Institute participants to help build collaborative community-based teams, consider existing community assets, find financial resources and networking opportunities setting the stage for successful project/program implementation.

•To date the housing institute has served 136 members over six cohorts, beginning 10 years ago in April 2010.

•The program is designed to build the capacity of local housing leaders and stakeholders by working collaboratively to address needs, sharing team experiences, learning best practices, developing creative solutions to bring quality affordable housing to their communities and forming enduring relationships.

•Even though the bulk of activities will be completed through virtual and remote engagement this cohort, our program design remains as collaborative and locally engaged as ever.

•5 teams participating in this 2020-21 cycle make this our biggest cohort yet.

•Successful online formatting could mean the potential to expand the institute outside of MN for more peer-to-peer exchange opportunities in the future.

“The Greater MN Housing Institute is a signature program MHP has developed that has over the past ten years provided impact through peer-to-peer learning; collaborating with hundreds of local organizations and agencies to help them realize their community housing goals. Funded through a HUD grant, this year our team has worked creatively and persistently to provide teams with a comparable experience entirely online. We look forward to serving this years’ participants.”