Federal Policy
Purpose and Program Summaries
On a nationwide basis, the shortage of affordable and available rental homes for Extremely Low Income (ELI) households is 6 million. Nationally, there are only 39 affordable and available rental homes for every 100 ELI renter households; this represents a decline from 44 units in 2007. According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition’s annual publication, Out of Reach, as of 2011 there remained no county in the 50 states and the District of Columbia in which a full-time worker earning the locally prevailing minimum wage can afford even a one-bedroom apartment at the Fair Market Rent (FMR).
ELI households include people who work at the low wage jobs that are so critical to a healthy economy. They are child care providers, nursing home aides, hotel housekeepers, office cleaners, retail clerks, and receptionists. These families rely on affordable housing to ensure their basic rights of life and liberty.
Most funding for affordable housing comes directly from the federal government or is distributed by the federal government to states and Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) in the form of block grants. Households across Minnesota receive federal funding in all of its forms. These programs include:
| Program | Minnesota Households |
| Voucher Subsidies to Individual Households ( Section 8 ) | 31,000 |
| Subsidies to Privately-Owned Properties ( Section 8 ) | 7,000 |
| Subsidies to Publicly-Owned Properties | 20,000 |
| Tax Credit Programs | 29,000 |
| USDA Section 515 (Rural Areas Only) | 10,870 |
These programs are explained in detail in their respective sections under the ‘Federal Policy’ heading of the policy blog. Importantly, any one program or combination of programs may be underway at a property at a given time.
Statistics provided by the Minnesota Housing Partnership
