Bonding 2020: Jennifer Ho, Minnesota Housing Finance Agency Commissioner

The need for more affordable housing in Minnesota is well documented. According to the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency, Minnesota needs to add 300,000 more homes statewide by 2030, including at least 2,500 for those earning $30,000 or less. Unsheltered homelessness has increased 125% since 2015 and about 8,000 Minnesotans experience homelessness each night, the agency says. The COVID-19 pandemic underscores those needs. Put another way, the health crisis has forced Minnesotans to stay at home or “shelter in place,” but what about those who don’t have a home – or are forced to live in an overcrowded shelter? Minnesota Housing Finance Agency Commissioner Jennifer Ho addresses that and other questions in the context of the agency’s state bonding request, which includes $200 million in housing infrastructure bonds and $60 million in public housing improvements. She also offers her take on the outlook for a robust bonding bill in 2020, among other topics. Related links: https://finance-commerce.com/2020/04/bonding-2020-housing-even-more-important-agency-chief-says/