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St. Anthony 2040 Comprehensive Plan Chapter 5: Housing 62 Local policies and strategies to promote access to affordable housing Effective referrals The City supports providing appropriate resources and education about existing housing support programs offered by other agencies and organizations. While the city does not have the capacity to provide staff to offer this service, there are opportunities to more effectively communicate to residents and prospective residents about existing programs offered through Minnesota Housing (first-time homebuyer and fix-up loan programs) and local non-profits serving the area. Effective housing referrals will increase opportunities for residents to enter the community who would otherwise have barriers and improve the likelihood of existing housing maintenance. Fair Housing Policy Both Hennepin & Ramsey County HRA support Fair Housing Policies, and the City will support implementation of that policy. A Fair Housing Policy states that the City will not discriminate or allow others to discriminate against protected cases, in compliance with state law. First time homebuyer, down payment assistance, and foreclosure prevention programs The City encourages residents to access existing programs available through Hennepin & Ramsey counties, as well as the Minnesota Homeownership Center and the StartUp program through Minnesota Housing. The City will continue to form partnerships with external organizations who offer these programs and seek to provide referral information wherever possible. Repair and rehabilitation programs There are many programs external to the city that support housing repair and rehabilitation assistance for homeowners and rental housing properties. Many of these programs and sources of funding assistance can be accessed through the County HRAs, Minnesota Housing, or others. The City will continue promoting its partnerships to residents and to support the efforts of external organizations to offer these programs to residents, particularly targeting those low- income residents most in need. Participation in housing-related organizations, partnerships, and initiatives City supports staff, commissioners and/or elected officials’ involvement in housing collaborations, working groups, technical assistance panels, or other events focused on the topic of maintaining or furthering affordable housing, and encourage collaboration and knowledge-sharing on best practices between cities and other jurisdictions. Site assembly The City states an intention of supporting policies that encourage land banking, reserving publicly owned properties, and other site assembly techniques for affordable housing. The Twin Cities Land Bank serves communities in Hennepin and Ramsey counties. St. Anthony will consider pursuing partnership or collaboration with the Twin Cities Land Bank and support land banking opportunities as they arise.