Greater Minnesota Housing Fund Minnesota Housing Partnership EDAs & HRAs Local Housing Resources Greater Minnesota HRA/EDA Housing Institute Enhancing the effectiveness, efficiency & capacity of HRAs/EDAs in Greater Minnesota 2009 Application
Greater Minnesota HRA/EDA Housing Institute The purpose of the Greater Minnesota Housing and Redevelopment Authority/Economic Development Authority (HRA/EDA) Housing Institute is to enhance the effectiveness, efficiency, and capacity of HRAs and EDAs throughout Minnesota to create and preserve affordable housing, including rental and owner-occupied homes. By helping to promote multijurisdictional, intergovernmental cooperation opportunities that result in permanent agreements, HRAs, EDAs and similar local housing organizations will be able to meet housing needs and sustain affordable housing in the communities they serve. The creation of cooperative agreements among HRAs and EDAs that help to enable smaller HRAs and EDAs to utilize a broader array of affordable housing options, sustain current housing stock, and leverage existing resources to address local housing needs will also be emphasized. The Housing Institute will demonstrate and reaffirm the important role that HRAs and EDAs play in addressing affordable housing needs for low and moderate income households in Minnesota. The Greater Minnesota HRA/EDA Housing Institute, headed by Minnesota Housing Partnership (MHP) and Greater Minnesota Housing Fund (GMHF), is proposed to occur over the course of 18 months. In order to participate in the Institute, HRAs and EDAs are required to submit an application. Selection of participants will be determined upon specific criteria. Upon acceptance into the Housing Institute, participants will participate in the Housing Institute where there will be group training on a broad range of topics, individual project/program assistance, on and off site meetings with MHP & GMHF staff, and feedback from funders on their proposed projects/programs. 2009 Application Checklist Have you included the following? Completed application Team Member attachment Letter of support from local governing bodies (highly recommended) Applications are due by 5:00 pm, Friday, November 13, 2009. Please send all materials to: Minnesota Housing Partnership ATTN: Housing Institute 2446 University Avenue West Suite 140 St. Paul, MN 55114-1740 OR Email sguernsey@mhponline.org Follow up conference calls will be scheduled with each applicant prior to selection. For additional information or questions, contact Shannon Guernsey at sguernsey@mhponline.org or 651-925-5544.
Selection Criteria This is a program designed to serve smaller jurisdictions and entities with limited capacities. There will be a limited number of teams, comprised of 3-5 persons per team, representing multiple organizations. Teams will be selected according to the following criteria: Geographically located outside of the Twin Cities seven county metro area Commitment to multi-jurisdictional and/or intergovernmental cooperation that may result in permanent agreements, such as Joint Powers Agreements, etc. Team members representing smaller jurisdictions Dedication to securing local resources for housing Evidence of support from appropriate governing bodies Commitment to public participation Commitment to preserving affordable housing Team Member Information Please provide contact information for each member of your Housing Institute team. There is a minimum of 3 people and a maximum of 5 people per team. This Housing Institute team will attend the Housing Institute workshops and report back to a larger Community Engagement team. There is no limit in size for the Community Engagement team; however, it is strongly recommended that the team consists of a variety of representatives from the jurisdictions, such as representatives from the HRA/EDA and the local governing bodies. Please see the Team Member attachment to fill out the information for the appropriate members of your teams. Please describe why you have selected these individuals to your team. Housing Institute Application Page 3 of 7
Potential Collaboration Please provide the following information in order to help us gain an understanding as to what you plan to do in terms of collaboration. Approaches that demonstrate multi-jurisdictional and/or intergovernmental cooperation are highly recommended. Please identify the type of collaboration your team would like to achieve to better and more efficiently meet housing goals. Please identify the type of collaborative activities such as sharing resources or creating multi-jurisdictional housing projects/programs that your team would like to address. Community Engagement Please provide the following information about your community in order to help us gain an understanding as to what you have done in the past and what you are hoping to do in the future for affordable housing. Please describe how you plan to engage the community, including marketing and outreach efforts. What support do you receive currently from your local governing body? Housing Institute Application Page 4 of 7
Resources Profile Please provide the following budgeting and finance information about your community in order to help us gain an understanding as to what you have done in the past and what you are hoping to do in the future for affordable housing. Briefly describe your current financial commitment to affordable housing in your community. Please identify some possible housing resources in your community. Please describe your staffing on housing and briefly provide details regarding roles and responsibilities. Final Questions Please answer the following questions in the space provided. Boxes may be expanded if needed. What does your team hope to gain from participating in the Institute? Any additional information you feel may be relevant to your application Housing Institute Application Page 5 of 7
Potential Project s/programs Please provide some possible project/program ideas your team will consider implementing. There does not have to be a specific defined project/program at this point; however, we would like to know what projects/programs you are thinking about pursuing. Teams will be instructed to pick a project/program to work on within a few months of acceptance into the Institute. Project/Program Idea #1 (Briefly describe in each box) Project/program goal/objective Anticipated targeted population How does this project/program meet the needs of the community? Is there predevelopment or other funding already committed to this project/program? Any additional information Project/Program Idea #2 (Briefly describe in each box) Project/program goal/objective Anticipated targeted population How does this project/program meet the needs of the community? Is there predevelopment or other funding already committed to this project/program? Any additional information Project/Program Idea #3 (Briefly describe in each box) Project/program goal/objective Anticipated targeted population How does this project/program meet the needs of the community? Is there predevelopment or other funding already committed to this project/program? Any additional information Housing Institute Application Page 6 of 7
Sample Greater Minnesota HRA/EDA Housing Institute Team Member Expectations Agreement Minnesota Housing Partnership (MHP) and the Greater Minnesota Housing Fund (GMHF) are pleased to hear that you are interested in creating and preserving affordable housing and participating in the Greater Minnesota HRA/EDA Housing Institute. We look forward to working with you to create a high quality, effective, and financially feasible project/program. In order for our partnership to be successful, we will need to work closely together, communicate regularly, share information, and provide the necessary follow-up on issues related to the project. We have outlined your expectations as a participant in the Institute below. Please review these expectations and have each member of your team submit a signed copy with the application. We look forward to working with you and to the successful development of your project. EXPECTATIONS AGREEMENT The Greater Minnesota HRA/EDA Housing Institute is a unique opportunity that provides participants with access to a range of assistance to help create and preserve an affordable housing project. Participants will receive group training on a broad range of topics, individual project assistance, on and off site meetings with MHP & GMHF staff, and feedback from funders on the proposed project. In order to use this initiative to successfully develop an affordable housing project, your agency/team must agree to the following statement. Upon selection to the Greater Minnesota HRA/EDA Housing Institute, I agree to: 1.) Attend all Housing Institute sessions and actively work toward the development of the project/program that has been decided upon by all members of my team. 2.) Dedicate staff time outside of the Housing Institute sessions to complete homework and other predevelopment tasks for the proposed project/program. This will likely involve regular development team meetings. 3.) Increase local engagement in this effort by educating and involving necessary individuals in the community. This includes inviting MHP & GMHF staff to meet these members and/or attend community meetings. 4.) Maintain communication with MHP & GMHF staff about all aspects of my project/program. This includes inviting MHP & GMHF staff to your development team meetings. 5.) Actively work with my team to achieve collaboration and the objectives and outcomes of the program/project. Signature Name of Organization Date Housing Institute Application Page 7 of 7