West Hennepin Affordable Housing Land Tr

THE ORGANIZATION PROVIDES PERMANENTLY AFFORDABLE HOUSING OWNERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES FOR LOW TO MODERATE INCOME FAMILIES WITHIN SUBURBAN HENNEPIN COUNTY.

HOUSING IS A MULTIPLIER, A BASIC NEED THAT IMPACTS EVERY PART OF LIFE: EDUCATION, HEALTH AND ECONOMIC SUCCESS. HWR HAS WITNESSED FIRST-HAND HOW HOMEOWNERSHIP FOR WORK-FORCE FAMILIES STABILIZES LIVES, ENABLES GREATER COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC PARTICIPATION, AND BUILDS ASSETS. HWR ACQUIRES THE OWNERSHIP OF REAL PROPERTY, REHABILITATING AND THEN SELLING THE IMPROVEMENTS (HOME) TO HOMEOWNERS EARNING LESS THAN 80% AREA MEDIAN INCOME. THIS ARRANGEMENT BETWEEN THE HOMEOWNER AND HWR PROTECTS HOUSING AFFORDABILITY IN PERPETUITY BY ENSURING THAT THE HOME IS AFFORDABLE FOR LOW TO MODERATE INCOME WORKFORCE HOUSEHOLDS UPON THE SALE AND FUTURE SALES OF A SINGLE-FAMILY HOME.AS OF DECEMBER 31, 2023, WHAHLT HAS PLACED 205 PROPERTIES INTO ITS TRUST SINCE IT BEGAN CREATING AND PRESERVING AFFORDABLE HOMEOWNERSHIP AND HAS ASSISTED 245 FAMILIES, WITH AN AVERAGE AREA MEDIAN INCOME OF 58.6%, IN PURCHASING A HOME IN THE COMMUNITIES OF BLOOMINGTON, BROOKLYN PARK, CRYSTAL, DEEP HAVEN, EDINA, EDEN PRAIRIE, GOLDEN VALLEY, MAPLE GROVE, MINNETONKA, NEW HOPE, PLYMOUTH, RICHFIELD, ST. LOUIS PARK AND WAYZATA. THE REASON FOR GROWING IN THESE SPECIFIC COMMUNITIES IS THAT EACH ONE OF THESE CITIES HAS DEMONSTRATED A WILLINGNESS TO COLLABORATE WITH WHAHLT IN CREATING AFFORDABLE HOMEOWNERSHIP. THE PROGRAM OFFERS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR WORKFORCE HOUSEHOLDS TO BECOME HOMEOWNERS, WHICH IN TURN STABILIZES THE FAMILY UNIT, ADDS VALUE TO THE COMMUNITY WHERE THEY WORK OR LIVE, BY INCREASING THE LABOR POOL TO LOCAL BUSINESSES, ADDING NEW FAMILIES TO THE COMMUNITY, PRESERVING AND REHABILITATING OF EXISTING HOUSING STOCK AND PROVIDING A MECHANISM TO INVEST IN LONG TERM AFFORDABLE HOMEOWNERSHIP, THEREBY LINKING HOUSING WITH JOBS, TRANSIT AND SUPPORT SERVICES.IN 2023 HWR ADDED 19 HOMES IN 9 COMMUNITIES. NOTABLE HIGHLIGHTS FOR 2023 WERE; A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY IN EDINA. EDINA HAD ACQUIRED A HOME VIA TAX FORFEITURE 12 YEARS PRIOR. THE HOME HAD SUFFERED A FIRE. IT WAS ABANDONED WITH ALL THE PREVIOUS OWNERS' BELONGINGS IN THE HOUSE. IT WAS A HOARDER HOME. THIS CITY APPROACHED HWR WITH AN OFFER TO SELL THE HOME TO OUR ORGANIZATION FOR $1.00. STAFF RESEARCHED WHETHER IT MADE SENSE TO ACQUIRE THE HOME FOR EXTENSIVE REHAB OR TEAR IT DOWN FOR NEW CONSTRUCTION AND WAS IT FINANCIALLY FEASIBLE. GIVEN A TEAR DOWN WOULD REQUIRE NEW SETBACKS MEANING THE FOUNDATION COULDN'T EVEN BE SAVED, THE PLAN WAS TO REHAB THE HOME. THE HOME WAS ORIGINALLY A 2 BED, 1 BATH HOME WITH A SINGLE CAR ATTACHED GARAGE AND AN ADDITIONAL 2 CARE DETACHED. BY RAISING THE ROOF AND CONVERTING THE GARAGE INTO BEDROOM SPACE, THE HOME WAS TRANSFORMED INTO A BEAUTIFUL, ENERGY EFFICIENT 4 BED, 2 BATH WITH MAIN FLOOR LAUNDRY. IT IS TRULY A FLAGSHIP HOME FOR THE PROGRAM. ADDITIONALLY, 2023 WAS THE LARGEST FUNDING AWARD FROM MINNESOTA HOUSING IN THE ORGANIZATIONS HISTORY WHICH WILL ENSURE CONTINUED GROWTH AND EXPANSION FOR THE NEXT FEW YEARS. THE CITY OF GOLDEN VALLEY ALSO RECEIVED A SIGNIFICANT AWARD WHICH WILL BENEFIT HWR AS IT WILL ALLOW THEM TO AWARD FUNDS TO DEVELOPERS TO BUILD ON CITY OWNED LOTS WITH THE CAVEAT THAT THE HOMES MUST BE PLACED IN HOMES WITHIN REACH LAND TRUST PROGRAM. OVER TIME, 20 HOMES WILL BE ADDED IN THE COMMUNITY. 2023 BROUGHT SIGNIFICANT GROWTH AND OPPORTUNITY FOR WEST HENNEPIN AFFORDABLE HOUSING LAND TRUST, DBA, HOMES WITHIN REACH (HWR) CREATING AND PRESERVING LONG-TERM AFFORDABLE HOMEOWNERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES FOR WORK-FORCE HOUSEHOLDS WHO PROVIDE ESSENTIAL SERVICES TO HENNEPIN COUNTY SUBURBAN COMMUNITIES. SERVICE PROVIDERS SUCH AS TEACHERS, MUNICIPAL WORKERS, RETAIL STAFF, OFFICE PERSONNEL, FOOD SERVICE, CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVES, MEDICAL SUPPORT STAFF AND MANY MORE, WHO ARE UNABLE TO PURCHASE A HOME IN THE COMMUNITIES WHERE THEY WORK AND LIVE.