[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6348551,"mediaKeyId","2241629-4ce16e718992f372331419ae467a5d24","parentId",2241629,"title","Minneapolis seeks $35 million to clear MPHA backlog for 800 family homes; bill laid over","audioSeconds",864,"startMs",2346000,"endMs",3210000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2241629-4ce16e718992f372331419ae467a5d24&start=2346&end=3210","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2241629-4ce16e718992f372331419ae467a5d24/thumbnail_2346000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6348551/Minnesota/Minneapolis-seeks-35-million-to-clear-MPHA-backlog-for-800-family-homes-bill-laid-over","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6348551-a097719163c25acc8754bfa64c52e1c2/orig.mp4?Expires=1771137105&Signature=F0cy9hTzQ2dsmtH0Gf6jT6I~QsxvBIznpBIgqr9taqRfvRbA7HWOgLxIfPU0Tohjt578~L~XpQn8B4OM9iVz67vZogpJVVjqFUoiOxkBTghLlynQ3dKexxh2v23T8Gt7OIExdmcpZN~edfEeIuNebnwEgIqtLEFtW1RZe8CH1PEMOyK0yeO3JYQwIPej4OuNSYwR~GQpiL7m4u8qyl8gus~gvYyt5iwzvzUZ9fr~Hm8Lw-wsJLBTXfsp4HzTsvv2v3mVeBXObW8oFJVbkZr0AKRXTq-gd4Vpdh-sjRzzE0AlLECPEfmveJOPoZ4LC5RBl8E~fZJX-j5SlUDA9CtrjA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Minnesota Senate Media Services","date","2025-02-06T00:00:00Z","article","Minneapolis Public Housing Authority officials told the Minnesota Senate Committee on Housing and Homelessness Prevention that a one-time cash infusion is needed to eliminate a roughly $37 million capital backlog affecting 800 scattered-site family homes.

Senator Omar Fatae (bill sponsor) introduced the measure — identified in committee as Senate File 546 (sponsor’s amendment A1 was adopted) — and described it as targeted cash to preserve 800 deeply affordable family units that now require exterior and interior repairs. \"We are asking for a cash infusion because MMB has interpreted that these [units] are no longer public and therefore we cannot get GO bonds,\" MPHA Executive Director Abdi Warsami told the committee, explaining why the authority seeks direct appropriations rather than bonding.

Why it matters: MPHA said the 800 scattered-site family homes serve about 3,003 residents and have a capital backlog of approximately $37 million. Warsami said MPHA converted the portfolio from HUD section 9 public housing to section 8 in 2020, a move that increased subsidy roughly 2.5 times and helped MPHA rebuild reserves, but the conversion also, according to agency counsel and state budget staff, affects eligibility for state GO bonding. MPHA told the committee that occupancy across its portfolio was about 99 percent in December and that it received roughly 3,300 applicants during a five-day opening of the waiting list.

MPHA described how it has used prior state and local grants to rehabilitate and turn units: a recent $5 million grant and other local support permitted exterior work on 50–60 homes, and a short-term program turned 41 homes with deeper interior work (kitchens, bathrooms, electrical and mechanical repairs). Agency leaders also highlighted a larger redevelopment project — a $65 million Springs Manor effort to rehabilitate 221 units and add 15 new deeply affordable, accessible units — as an example of mixed-tool financing (tax credits, local and state dollars).

Committee discussion focused on scale, equity and fiscal controls. Senators questioned whether the portfolio could be sustained after a one-time infusion, how many people are on waiting lists (MPHA reported roughly 4,300 people across relevant waiting lists), and how federal funding instability might affect operations. Warsami said that, with the conversion to section 8 and the additional subsidy, MPHA expects to build reserves going forward and described the requested cash as a one-time fix that would put the 800-unit portfolio on a sustainable footing.

Action and outcome: Senator Abler moved and the committee adopted the A1 amendment by voice vote. Senator Fatae’s original bill was then laid over for possible inclusion in an omnibus bill; the transcript records committee agreement to lay the bill over rather than an immediate committee vote to refer it. The committee record shows adoption of the A1 amendment by voice vote and the subsequent layover for omnibus consideration.

The MPHA presentation emphasized program outcomes: agency data cited an average family stay of about six years and said 14 percent of families who left the program since 2020 had become homeowners. MPHA officials emphasized that preserving the scattered-site family homes prevents displacement and supports children and young families in Minneapolis.

The committee did not take a final passage vote on the MPHA cash proposal; the bill was laid over for inclusion consideration in an omnibus capital package.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Committee on Housing and Homelessness Prevention - 02/06/25","oneSentenceSummary","The Minneapolis Public Housing Authority told a Senate committee it has a $37 million capital backlog across 800 scattered-site family homes, and a bill proposing a $35 million cash infusion was presented and laid over for possible inclusion in an omnibus bill.","taxTitle","2025 Legislature MN, Minnesota","taxId",77817,"location","Minnesota","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6348556,"Senate committee backs $100 million bonding bill to rehabilitate public housing",3768,16000,3784000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2241629-4ce16e718992f372331419ae467a5d24&start=16&end=3784","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2241629-4ce16e718992f372331419ae467a5d24/thumbnail_16000.jpg","/articles/6348556/Minnesota/Senate-committee-backs-100-million-bonding-bill-to-rehabilitate-public-housing","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6348556-0abb5b10a62bdfc2e6487b93d7904d15/orig.mp4?Expires=1771137105&Signature=c7cGGBPIEIKzLhNgND96Bh-T0YxYPJaSKN0qE4ThirEZzOzQ~8xOGDS9~UbygiQFWiqQADFD-S~m4ngza4058JkiajtmNYmuHtjZndyeNqLKa3MKG~4q8XWQYfydDK9YzODCOlTlsAdwV5iXN4mx7hon5uiH00MeAM6z2AE9jKwVtTo~mShM7g3GciL9RnsAkjo71rwgOidUv7DFx7GYOuSp-uyaNHt-MVgKaPH0JFbihnaHC68nQ~MVzbdywP4zONbGOVzwoeSd4pXFILnX1lZv64tDyL-wEa19MIvy~WEM-EpDs89kzhtfHQT0Ui~pBFTQEUMFfj79Wggqa9QLrg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Senators on the Minnesota Senate Committee on Housing and Homelessness Prevention voted to recommend Senate File 915, a $100 million general-obligation bonding request intended to rehabilitate and preserve publicly owned housing across Minnesota.

The measure, introduced by Senator Clare Mohammed, was moved and referred to the Senate Committee on Capital Investment after more than an hour of testimony on statewide public housing needs. \"Hundred million dollars to rehabilitate and preserve public housing across Minnesota,\" Mohammed said in opening remarks, calling it a bid to \"save what we have and ensure that it remains livable for future generations.\"

The day’s hearing featured a presentation from Minnesota NARO (the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials) and housing authority officials who described a widening gap between the condition of public housing properties and available capital and operating funds. Melissa Taphorn, executive director of the Washington County Community Development Agency and legislative chair of Minnesota NARO, told the committee that federal and state resources have not kept pace with needs. Taphorn said Minnesota has about 32,400 housing choice vouchers actively leased and that public housing is home to more than 36,000 low-income Minnesotans, of whom 65 percent are seniors or people with disabilities and a similar share have annual incomes below $15,000.

Why it matters: housing authority leaders told senators that decades of underfunding have built up large backlogs of deferred maintenance — boilers, windows, electrical systems and other capital repairs — that threaten the continued operation of aging buildings. Taphorn said a five-year total of identified needs reached about $500 million and that the unmet portion of that needs total is \"just under $200,000,000.\" Committee testimony also noted that the state has provided roughly $100 million in POP (Publicly Owned Housing Program) funding over recent allocation rounds, but officials said more is required to address the backlog.

Presenters also described operating funding shortfalls. Lisa Gafford (identified in testimony as a housing official) said that, under HUD’s formula, Minnesota is eligible for about $51.4 million in operating subsidy but has been funded at roughly $49.4 million, creating an annual shortfall that requires tradeoffs in staffing and resident services.

Officials described how POP and other state grants have been used locally to leverage federal, county and private funds for life-safety work and behind-the-walls infrastructure. Red Wing HRA Executive Director Kurt Kiena and St. Paul Public Housing Authority Executive Director Louise Seba gave examples of window and boiler replacements, electrical upgrades, and multi-year modernization projects paid for in part with POP awards. \"POP funds have made critical life safety improvements at Saint Paul PHA properties possible. Without them, we could not do the work that we do,\" Seba told the committee.

Committee members pressed on planning and sustainability. Senators asked how housing authorities budget for long-term capital cycles, and witnesses described multi-year capital plans, use of HUD capital funds, local levy dollars, tax-credit financing and one-time state cash to close major gaps. Witnesses also outlined federal policy changes — including HUD repositioning tools (RAD conversions) and Buy America requirements — that can affect costs and financing choices.

Action and next steps: Senator Mohammed moved that Senate File 915 be recommended to pass and re-refer to the Committee on Capital Investment. The motion carried by voice vote and the bill was sent to capital investment for consideration; the committee record notes a voice vote and does not record a numerical tally. Committee materials indicate the sponsor’s intention that the measure become part of the capital investment package for the 2025 Legislature.

The hearing record and testimony underline a common theme: committee members and housing authority leaders agreed on the importance of preserving existing public housing while also expanding supply, but they emphasized that patching decades of deferred maintenance will require sustained, multi-source funding to avoid losing units.

Votes at a glance: Senate File 915 — motion to recommend to pass and re-refer to committee on Capital Investment; mover: Senator Clare Mohammed; outcome: approved by voice vote (exact counts not recorded in the transcript).","A Senate committee moved Senate File 915, a $100 million general-obligation bonding bill to rehabilitate publicly owned housing, after testimony from housing authorities that federal funds and operating grants are failing to keep up with capital needs across Minnesota.","actionData","errors"]

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Minneapolis seeks $35 million to clear MPHA backlog for 800 family homes; bill laid over

Senate committee backs $100 million bonding bill to rehabilitate public housing