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Big problems require big solutions. We know housing affordability is at a crisis level in the Twin Cities. As the president and CEO of Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity, I can say with confidence that the dream of homeownership is slipping further away for working families in a market that’s tougher than it’s been in generations. I can say with equal confidence that we aren’t going to solve today’s housing issues by small measures or solo actors. Communities need to think big to address these big issues.
According to a new study from the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, there has been a more than 60% drop in homebuyers with modest budgets in the Twin Cities from 2021-24. Recent Star Tribune headlines include, “In Minnesota, it now takes a six-figure income to buy a home,” and “High mortgage rates halve number of working-class homebuyers in the Twin Cities.” The articles detail the multiple factors driving would-be buyers out of the market, including the rising costs of homes, increasing mortgage rates and investors buying up affordable homes outright. And while the factors and impacts are reaching a fever pitch right now, the importance of affordable, stable housing to our region’s success has long been acknowledged. A housing task force assembled by former Gov. Mark Dayton noted in a 2018 report, “There is no smarter or stronger investment we can make than in planning for Minnesotans to have good homes in thriving communities across this state. Homes are essential infrastructure for economic prosperity, just like roads and schools, and we can’t have vibrant communities and a thriving economy without them.”
With this philosophy in mind, we’re engaged in the largest project ever in Twin Cities Habitat’s history: 147 homes in a single neighborhood located in St. Paul’s Greater East Side, with 60 homes actively under construction. These homes are just one part of a sweeping reinvention of a former golf course, converting 112 acres into a dynamic community — the Heights — that will also feature multifamily housing, job-generating light industrial space and a new public park.
Today, housing is often about partnership, at both the individual level and the macro level. At Habitat, we partner with qualified individuals — workers making an average of between $53,000 to $100,000 per year — to address barriers and provide resources that make homeownership a reality in an otherwise out-of-reach market. And to realize a vision like the Heights requires total commitment and partnership from cities, counties, the state, corporations, and individual donors and volunteers.
The Heights is proof that we can make big progress, at the scale of an entire neighborhood, with vision, a plan and collaboration. Fifteen months ago, this development was nothing but open land. Today, through the contributions of more than 5,000 people, including leaders from every sector, it’s an emerging community where families are signing closing papers and preparing to celebrate the New Year in their new homes.
The Heights is an ambitious undertaking, but one that will pay dividends for generations to come. We must think this big in every corner of our region to help make housing more affordable. While not every community will have an exact replica of the Heights, we need to seize these opportunities to reimagine developable sites across the state. We need to be willing to think creatively about what’s possible. It will take partnerships, new ways of thinking and collaboration across government, corporations, nonprofits, foundations, community groups and individuals in order to ensure more of our neighbors can afford to own a home.
