Workforce Housing Development Program

An eligible recipient is one of the following eligible project areas:

• A home rule charter or statutory city with a population exceeding 500 located outside of a metropolitan county.
• A community that has a combined population of 1,500 residents located within 15 miles of a home rule charter or statutory city located outside a metropolitan county.
• An area located outside of a metropolitan county that serves a federally recognized Indian Tribe in Minnesota, or their associated Tribally Designated Housing Entity as defined by United States Code, title 25, section 4103(22), as approved in writing by Minnesota Housing.
• An area served by a Joint County-City Economic Development Authority. 

Eligible project areas with fewer than 30,000 people will be given preference. Refer to Minnesota Statute 462A.39 for additional information.

Eligible housing types are market rate residential rental properties that serve employees of businesses located in an eligible project area. A portion of the units can have rent restrictions or income restrictions.

Eligible activities include the following or a combination of the following:

• New construction
• Acquisition and rehabilitation of a property that creates new housing units. This program would only fund those new units of housing.
• Adaptive reuse of an existing property that is not currently used for housing.

• Eligible Project Area: Small-to medium-sized communities/Tribes in Greater Minnesota; refer to the Eligible Recipient section above.
• Project Area Rental Vacancy Rate: The average vacancy rate for rental housing located in the eligible project area, and in any other city located within 15 miles or less of the boundaries of the area, has been 5% or less for at least the prior two-year period.
• Eligible Uses: Funds will be used on qualified expenditures; refer to the WHDP Program Guide for more information.
• Match: Secured matching funds of one dollar for every two dollars requested in funding.
• Community Need: One or more letters of support from one or more businesses located in the eligible project area, or within 25 miles of the area that employ a minimum of 20 full-time employees in aggregate.
• Maximum Award Amount: Funding request cannot exceed 50% of the project’s total development costs.
• Eligible Recipient: The application must be submitted by an eligible recipient.

• RFP Application Instructions
• Application Narrative and Certification
• Certification Form
• Application Workbook
• Self-Scoring Worksheet
• Letter of Employer Support Template
• Secured Financing Calculation Worksheet
• Application Checklist