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Hennepin County Housing

Building a foundation for all

Support across the housing spectrum

affordable home ownership, workforce rental housing, affordable housing, deeply affordable and supportive housing and assistance, emergency shelterA safe and affordable place to live is the foundation on which people build successful lives. At Hennepin County, we work to develop a range of affordable housing options across income levels. We call it the affordable housing spectrum. We also work to make homelessness rare, brief, and nonrecurring. 

This spectrum is the heart of our housing strategy at Hennepin County—helping everyone across the continuum gain access to greater housing stability.

Making a difference

Our programs and strategies have very real impacts on the lives of thousands of people living in our county. Read some of their stories.

sketch of the new opportunity crossing building

New beginnings

Developers break ground on new shelter, affordable housing developments

man waving in his new apartment

Homeless to Housing program houses almost 1,300 people

The program embraces a person-centered approach to finding housing.

two women inside holding up a sold sign

A dream home: Homeownership made possible through the county’s Homebuyer Assistance Program

The Homebuyer Assistance Program is a new funding opportunity that provides eligible first-time homebuyers up to $30,000 in downpayment and closing cost assistance.

View all stories

Families are facing a crisis

53,090 households in Hennepin County make below 30% of the area median income, but there are only 18,705 housing units affordable to them.
There are an estimated 73,660 households in Hennepin County with incomes below 30% of the area median income, but only 14,192 housing units affordable to them.

Disparities in housing affordability

We also see significant racial disparities in households that spend more than a third of their income on housing.

housing cost burden by race with indigenous people being the highest, then black, then hispanic, then white

Our response

Today, affordable housing is out of reach for many. The lack of housing options available to families, the disparities in housing affordability, and the increasing price of housing are big challenges. But Hennepin County is meeting them head on.

Heart of our housing strategy