07-12-2017 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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3 Roseville Area schools and 85 percent increase in the North Saint Paul/Maplewood school district who are learning English. We have a sizable Karen community (Burma refugees). Approximately fifty-seven percent of students in the Roseville schools are now students of color. Homeless students are a part of our school population. Study Goal This study examines if fair housing and an adequate housing supply exist for all our community members. It focuses on available units for families and individuals using Metropolitan Council definitions. We chose Council definitions because they are the ones cities will use for updating their comprehensive plans due to be filed with the Met Council next year. The League sought to determine if our inner-ring suburbs are doing our share. What is affordable housing? Housing is affordable to a family or individual if costs are no more than 30 percent of their income. For people who earn less than the median income this can be a challenge. Government subsidizes housing to make it affordable in a variety of ways with the main goal of preventing homelessness. Affordable housing is obtained by: building it publicly, building it privately with public assistance or by giving rental vouchers to people who, on their own, must find landlords who will accept them. In addition to government-subsidized affordable housing, manufactured mobile homes, older homes and apartment buildings provide affordable homes as well. The Metropolitan Council’s new Housing Policy Plan, developed to assist cities, states, “Having a variety of housing types, including housing affordable to very-low-income households or those with special support needs, is part of a well-balanced, economically resilient community and an economically competitive region.” Gathering Background Information A committee of League members questioned a variety of housing experts to gather information for this report. Interviewees were: Barbara Dacy, Washington HRA; Dan Hylton, Housing Link researcher; Paul Fate, recently retired CEO, Common Bond; Dr. Edward Goetz, Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA); Libby Starling and Beth Reetz. Metropolitan Council; Commissioner Mary Tingerthal and Katie Topina, Minnesota Housing; Cathy Bennett, Housing Initiative, Urban Land Institute Minnesota (ULI), Cathy ten Broeke, Minnesota state director to Prevent Homelessness, and Dr. Craig Waldron, Hamline University. Ellen Shelton, Wilder Foundation, addressed homelessness at the League’s November meeting. We focused on affordable housing and homelessness at our meeting with local policymakers in January. Dr. Goetz, (CURA) John Slade, Organizer for Ramsey and Washington Counties, Metropolitan Interfaith Council on Affordable Housing (MICAH) and State Representative Alice Hausman, a legislative leader on expanding affordable housing units, were speakers at our February meeting. City and county elected and appointed officials and staff