Agenda - Council - 01/24/2017 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Housing & Economic Development Metro Cities supports a consistent schedule for sending the annual housing production survey to cities. In considering Housing Performance Score uses and criteria: • The Council should engage in a periodic review of the formula; • Any proposed new or expanded use of the Housing Performance Scores should be reviewed by local officials; and • The Council should recognize market factors such as downward economic cycles when setting timelines and look backs in calculating recent affordable housing production. 3-G State Role in Housing The state must be an active participant in providing funding for housing needs, including direct funding, financial incentives and initiatives to assist local governments and developers to support affordable housing as well as housing that is appropriate for people at all stages of life. State funding is a major and necessary component for the provision of housing needs. Current resource levels are insufficient to meet the spectrum of needs in the metropolitan region and across the state. Primarily through the programs of the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency (MHFA) and the Department of Employee and Economic Development(DEED), the state establishes the general direction and prioritization of housing issues. The state financially supports a variety of housing types including transitional housing, supportive housing, senior housing, workforce housing and family housing. The state must continue to be an active partner in addressing life cycle and affordable housing issues. Workforce housing is generally defined as housing that supports economic development and job growth and is affordable to the local workforce. Currently, DEED programs that fund workforce housing are targeted for greater Minnesota. A new 2016 statewide program, administered through the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency, supports workforce homeownership efforts in the metropolitan area. Affordable housing options to meet the needs of a city's workforce are important for the economic competitiveness of cities and the metro region. In addition, significant housing related racial disparities persist in Minnesota, especially as it relates to the percentage of households of color who pay more than 30 percent of their income in housing costs, and as it relates to the significant disparity gap in homeownership rates. Metro Cities supports: • Increased state and federal funding for programs that support life cycle, workforce and affordable housing,foreclosure mitigation and senior, transitional and emergency housing for the metro region. The state should 2017 Legislative Policies 25