Since 2021, at least a third of all rental units selected in each year’s Multifamily Consolidated Request for Proposal (Consolidated RFP) are in HUD-designated qualified census tracts (QCT) and a part of community re-investment efforts. In 2024, 356 of the 956 selected units (37%) were in these locations.

Historic disinvestment through policies, practices and market forces has limited access to adequate financial resources for some low-income communities in Minnesota. Selecting projects in QCTs through Minnesota Housing’s Consolidated RFP process helps ensure that communities across the state have the housing resources needed to thrive. This strategy is part of the Agency’s balanced “both and” approach of investing in communities with higher incomes, lower-incomes, and those that have been disinvested. Housing investments in disinvested/lower-income communities need to be part of larger, holistic community reinvestment efforts that bring additional resources to other community amenities, such as schools, business development and job creation.

Applicants to Minnesota Housing’s competitive Consolidated RFP receive selection points if the project is in a QCT as designated by HUD. HUD designates an area as a QCT if either:

(a)   50% or more of the households in that tract have an income less than 60% of the area median gross income 

or 

(b)   the tract has a poverty rate of at least 25%.

Projects must also be a part of larger community reinvestment efforts that include non-housing investments and activities that support overall community redevelopment to receive the QCT points. This metric captures the number and share of all units selected for funding that meet this criterion.