Housing

Minnesota Information

• Amherst H. Wilder Foundation - "The mission of the Amherst H. Wilder Foundation is to promote the social welfare of persons resident or located in the greater Saint Paul metropolitan area". It produces a variety of reports about housing and homelessness in Minnesota.
• Builders Association of the Twin Cities (BATC) - An association of professionals in the building trades. The website features public policy updates and information about Minnesota's housing industry.
• Construction Codes and Licensing - The Minnesota state office responsible for administering the Minnesota State Building Code.
• Family Housing Fund - An organization created by Minneapolis, St. Paul, and the McKnight Foundation to preserve and expand quality affordable housing for families with low and moderate incomes in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. A variety of reports and fact sheets are available such as, Housing and Economic Growth in the Twin Cities Region.
• Greater Minnesota Housing Fund - An organization that seeks to work directly with local communities, employers, builders, and state and local public agencies in greater Minnesota to address housing shortages. A number of research reports are included on the website.
• HousingLink - A nonprofit organization providing information about affordable rental housing options in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. Resources include basic housing information, a rental housing referral service, and foreclosure research.
• Interagency Council on Homelessness - A public-private partnership to end homelessness in Minnesota. See its report, Heading Home: Minnesota's Action Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness.
• Landlords and Tenants: Rights and Responsibilities -- Published by Minnesota's Attorney General's Office. This site also provides consumer information on various housing issues.
• Metropolitan Council Housing Services - Information about the Metropolitan Council's housing programs in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area.
• Minnesota Home Ownership Center - This organization "promotes sustainable home ownership for low and moderate income Minnesotans".
• Minnesota Housing  - Minnesota's state housing finance agency;  provides financial and related customer assistance for Minnesotans seeking decent, safe, and affordable housing.
• Minnesota Housing Partnership - Its mission is to "promote homes for all Minnesotans and assist Minnesota communities in the creation and preservation of housing affordable to low- and moderate-income people." It publishes the report, The State of the State's Housing.
• Minnesota Office of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) - Minnesota-specific information on HUD properties, rental subsidies, and mortgage assistance.

Federal Information

• U.S. Census Bureau
  • American Housing Survey - National and metropolitan data on the nation's housing, including apartments, single-family homes, mobile homes, vacant housing units, household characteristics, income, housing and neighborhood quality, housing costs, equipment and fuels, size of housing unit, and recent movers.
  • Housing Topics - Links to Census housing data.
  • Homeownership Rates by State, 1900 to 2000 - Historical data derived from the decennial censuses of housing.
  • Housing Vacancies and Homeownership - Provides recent quarterly and annual statistics for U.S. regions, states, and metropolitan areas.
  • Housing Characteristics in the U.S. - An interesting look back at housing from 1940 to 2000. Includes state tables on trends in living alone and recent movers.
  • Building Permits Survey - Provides national, state, and metropolitan area data on new housing units authorized by building permits.
• U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
  • Get Involved in My Community - Information on HUD's programs that help communities grow and create housing opportunities.
  • Homelessness Assistance - Summarizes key U.S. programs and links to homeless assistance resources.
  • Office of Housing - Home sales statistics, mortgage calculators, fair housing laws, and more.
  • Office of Policy Development and Research - The primary source for Federal Government information on housing and community development policy and programs. Includes a searchable database.

Housing Finance, Advocacy Groups, Research, & Statistics

Cohousing Association of the United States - A national organization whose purpose is to promote and encourage the co-housing concept, also known as collaborative housing.
Fannie Mae - Provides extensive information about financing for homeownership.
Ginnie Mae - A program from the U.S. government which seeks to ensure that home mortgage funds are available throughout the United States.
Joint Center for Housing Studies - Harvard University's center for information and research on the relationships between housing markets and economic, demographic, and social trends.
National Association of Home Builders: Housing Economics - Statistics about the U.S. homebuilding industry and housing markets.
National Coalition for the Homeless - The NCH's mission is to end homelessness through public education and advocacy. Provides fact sheets about homelessness.
National Council of State Housing Agencies (NCSHA) - A national nonprofit organization whose members are Housing Finance Agencies with statewide authority.
National Housing Conference - A national organization advancing affordable housing and community development causes.
National Housing Institute - An organization committed to solving the nation's low income housing crisis. Learn about NHI's research and program development in Shelterforce, the group's online magazine.
National Low Income Housing Coalition - A national advocacy group providing research, education, and technical assistance to organizations working to develop solutions to critical housing needs. Publishes Out of Reach, an annual report comparing wages and rents in U.S. Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSA), counties, and states.

The sites listed on this page are not created, maintained, or endorsed by the Minnesota Legislature.