Anne Gilbertson-Seeling owns a duplex in the Audubon Park neighborhood of northeast Minneapolis and can walk to the Eastside Food Co-op and to her favorite restaurant, the Holy Land Deli and Restaurant.

She's part of a neighborhood effort to attract more people like her who are willing to buy one of the area's many multifamily houses and to encourage current owners to fix up their duplexes, triplexes or fourplexes.

Using funds from the Neighborhood Revitalization Program, the Audubon Neighborhood Association (ANA) is providing loans for down payments to buy and/or rehab owner-occupied dwellings with two to four units.

Homeowners can receive no-interest loans of up to $5,000 that will be forgiven if they keep the property for 15 years.

"It's to help stabilize the area, especially the west side of Johnson Street, where we've been hit the hardest by foreclosures," said Gilbertson-Seeling, chair of the ANA housing committee.

The program is designed to supplement existing home purchase programs available through the city of Minneapolis, the Center for Energy and the Environment and other organizations.

There are about 15 multiunit properties for sale in Audubon that would qualify for ANA funds, including a 1902 handyman special duplex for $59,900 and a 1909 updated stucco duplex with a third floor loft for $254,900. (Go to www.audubonneighborhood.org for a list.)

"If it's a popular program, we'll try to allocate more funding," Gilbertson-Seeling said.

Most Audubon Park houses are single-family homes ranging from turn-of-the century Victorians to 1930s and '40s bungalows.

This year, the average sale price of a home in the broader northeast community that includes Audubon Park was $175,190, according to the Minneapolis Area Association of Realtors.

Within the neighborhood's boundaries -- St. Anthony Parkway, Central Avenue, Lowry Avenue and Stinson Parkway -- are several popular businesses along Johnson Street, including Crafty Planet, Rewind Vintage and Pop! Restaurant. Chain store shoppers can drive to the nearby Rosedale Mall and the Quarry Shopping Center.

Next on the ANA agenda? It plans to turn part of Audubon Park, named after ornithologist John James Audubon, into an educational bird sanctuary.

Lynn Underwood • 612-673-7619