This summer, I had the immense pleasure of working with Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity in the Public Funding division. This division works to secure public funds and forge partnerships with state, county, and city governments to support Habitat’s goal of building affordable housing in the Twin Cities metro area. My involvement at Habitat consisted of two primary projects: researching market data for a major funding application and conducting an independent research project centered around Habitat’s relationship with the Minnesota Department of Corrections (MnDOC).
Each year, Habitat’s largest public funder is the state of Minnesota under the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency. The application for funding is a large undertaking that requires applicants to prove the local need for affordable housing through housing market analysis, as well as propose their plan to satisfy this need. I was primarily responsible for reading past applications submitted by Habitat and finding updated datapoints to ensure all information in the final application serves as the most recent available. I found that the average price of new homes in the Twin Cities metro area have skyrocketed since the onset of the pandemic as private developers have taken advantage of inflation and other market trends to maximize profit, pricing out lower-income prospective homebuyers. This demonstrates a dire need for the construction of more affordable housing, and while not perfect, Habitat’s model of constructing that housing themselves and offering affordable home loans to lower-income families has proven effective in meeting some of that need. Thus, this led to a submission of the largest public funding ask in Habitat’s history, over thirteen million dollars to go directly to new construction and the rehabilitation of existing properties.
Additionally, I spent much of this experience researching Habitat’s partnership with the MnDOC’s Institution/Community Work Crews (ICWC). ICWC is a program in which incarcerated folks complete various public works projects, such as litter pickup, snow removal, and building affordable housing, and Habitat has used these crews since at least 2018. Given the cruel history of prison labor and the modern abuses of the Prison Industrial Complex, I was surprised to learn about this partnership and wanted to look into its operations and effectiveness and push Habitat to reimagine and potentially reconsider the partnership. Therefore, I produced a report that summarized the existing data on the program and suggested that Habitat speak directly to ICWC participants and center their voices in the decision-making process regarding the future of the partnership. In the fall, a Diversity and Inclusion Action Team will use my research and suggestions as a foundation to begin speaking with participants and exploring community partnerships to connect them with employment opportunities to make the program more equitable if Habitat decides to continue the partnership.
Ultimately, this summer has been an incredible experience that has exposed me to two areas, housing and prison studies, that I had limited academic exposure to previously. These are two fields that I am now incredibly interested in exploring in my future career. I am extremely grateful to Sam Dyer, my supervisor, for bringing me on board and giving me the freedom to do research in two areas that are very important to me and my family. Furthermore, I extend many thanks to Professor Lavery and the Chuck Green Cohort for the endless support and guidance they offered throughout the summer.