Minneapolis Mayor Pushing to Fund a Slew of Programs to Make Housing More Affordable

Mayor Jacob Frey wants $40 million of the city’s budget to fund programs related to housing affordability.

1 minute read

September 11, 2018, 7:00 AM PDT

By Camille Fink


Apartment Building

Sam Wagner / Shutterstock

Affordable housing is a growing issue in Minneapolis, where median home prices have increased along with the population but the number of new homes built has not kept pace. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has proposed to put $40 million of the city’s $1.55 billion budget toward a long list of new and existing programs to boost affordable housing.

The largest portion, over $20 million, would go to the Affordable Housing Trust Fund Program to help finance affordable and mixed-income housing projects. Frey also wants to fund a series of new programs, including Healthy Homes, Healthy Schools, a program to support schoolchildren struggling with homelessness as well as a program to provide legal aid to people facing eviction and a program called Affordable Missing Middle, a pilot project to build affordable housing on city-owned property.

The Minneapolis City Council is reviewing the budget proposal [PDF] and plans to approve a final budget for 2019 in December.

Friday, September 7, 2018 in MinnPost

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Wastewater pouring out from a pipe.

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage

Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

April 13, 2025 - Inside Climate News

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

April 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Black and white photos of camp made up of small 'earthquake shacks' in Dolores Park in 1906 after the San Francisco earthquake.

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees

More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

April 15, 2025 - Charles F. Bloszies

Crowds of people walking and biking along waterfront in Sunset Dunes Park in San Francisco, California on a sunny day.

San Francisco Opens Park on Former Great Highway

The Sunset Dunes park’s grand opening attracted both fans and detractors.

April 22 - Mission Local

Portland Oregon Bus

Oregon Legislature to Consider Transit Funding Laws

One proposal would increase the state’s payroll tax by .08% to fund transit agencies and expand service.

April 22 - KATU.com

Houston, Texas skyline.

Housing Vouchers as a Key Piece of Houston’s Housing Strategy

The Houston Housing Authority supports 19,000 households through the housing voucher program.

April 22 - Urban Edge