About us
Our Mission | Background | Cluster
Project Concept | NHF
Structure and Partners
Mission
Adding value to existing neighborhood, city, and other private
and public efforts to support safe, vibrant, and sustainable
neighborhoods in North Minneapolis.
Background
In August of 2003, North Minneapolis community leaders
wrote to City elected officials asking them to commit
to developing sustainable solutions to the serious community
and economic development issues facing North Minneapolis.
Specific housing challenges facing North Minneapolis
include a high vacant and boarded housing inventory,
declining home ownership rates, and a residential rehabilitation
rate trailing that elsewhere in the city.
To address these serious issues, Mayor R.T. Rybak joined
with northside council members and local leaders to organize
an agenda for change. As part of this agenda, the Minneapolis
Department of Community Planning and Economic Development
(CPED) organized the Northside Partnership, which is focused
on attracting investment and stimulating positive redevelopment
activity in North Minneapolis.
A key component of the Northside Partnership’s housing
effort is the Northside Home Fund (NHF).
Cluster Project Concept
Make big changes in a concentrated small area. That’s
the idea behind the focus on small geographic areas, or “clusters”—to
make a noticeably positive impact on the housing stock
and to stabilize and strengthen the homeownership market
of North Minneapolis neighborhoods.
Specific components of the cluster projects include the
redevelopment of vacant and boarded homes, community outreach
and organizing, the administration of a health impact assessment
survey, a housing inspections component, foreclosure prevention,
and the establishment of a development partnership to identify
and implement residential development opportunities within
the cluster.
This multi-faceted approach aims to bring about improvements
that are so noticeable that positive change radiates to
adjacent blocks.
Northside Home Fund Structure and Partners
Northside
Home Fund activities are coordinated through three main
collaborative partnerships.
The first is the NHF Board. The NHF Board is composed
of representatives from northside neighborhood organizations,
nonprofit housing and homeownership organizations, governmental
and enforcement agencies, community development organizations,
private housing developers, and financial institutions.
The NHF Board recommends overall strategy and direction,
advises on NHF projects and cluster project activities,
and monitors progress on initiative activities.
The second is the NHF Working Group. This is a subgroup
of the NHF Board. Its membership is composed of representatives
from northside neighborhood organizations, neighborhood
organization development partners, the Department of Regulatory
Services – Housing Inspections Division and Problem
Properties Unit, the Department of Health and Family Support,
the Minneapolis Police Department, and the CPED – Housing
Policy & Development Division.
The NHF Working Group coordinates the activities of each
cluster project and facilitates communication between the
member organizations.
The third is the cluster-specific neighborhood-developer
partnership. The neighborhood group for each cluster selects
a housing development partner to work with the organization
to develop a cluster action plan. This plan includes the
redevelopment of the vacant and boarded properties in conjunction
with leveraging additional investment and enforcement tools
needed to improve surrounding properties.
Click here for recent news regarding the Northside Home
Fund and related cluster activities.
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