Habitat's New Partnership to Provide Pathways to Success

Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity is excited to embark on a new partnership with Minneapolis Public Housing Authority (MPHA) and Twin Cities R!SE. Dubbed Pathways to Success, the partnership will provide an additional way to increase homeownership rates and close the racial homeownership gap in Minnesota. 

The idea of joining forces came in the fall of 2022 when Shereese Turner, Chief Program Officer at Twin Cities Habitat met with Drew Halunen, Assistant Director of Administration, Communications, and Strategic Partnerships at MPHA. As they learned about each other’s organizations, they recognized a significant overlapping goal: helping people attain stable and affordable housing.

They also recognized the gap between someone living in public housing and someone transitioning to homeownership. They needed another organization to bridge that gap, to provide career development, resources, coaching, and employment opportunities. That’s when Shereese called Alex Merritt, Vice President of Program Operations at Twin Cities R!SE.

Once Shereese, Drew, and Alex connected, their excitement and passion could not be contained. They immediately saw how their organizations could build forward together to ultimately get more people into stable housing (through homeownership or market rate rent) and improve their quality of life.

Pathways to Success

The unique partnership is called Pathways to Success. While every client's situation is different, together, the partnership will be able to provide clients with a more holistic approach to achieving long-lasting stability in life. 

Step 1: Move Into Minneapolis Public Housing

The first step for people is to move into Minneapolis Public Housing. MPH provides 6,000 units of public and affordable housing throughout the city. These homes allow families to get on their feet and start building a foundation for upward mobility. The demographics of the people served by MPH are 87% Black, 85% female-led households, and 2/3 have 5+ individuals in them. 

Step 2: Be an MPH Resident for 30 Days

Step 2 is letting MPH participants get settled and take a breath. They are often coming from stressful situations and potential trauma, and they need time to rest and recharge. 

Step 3: Attend an Info Session with Twin Cities R!SE

Once they've had a chance to settle, MPH participants need education, resources and career development to continue on a path towards stability. That’s where Twin Cities R!SE comes in. Twin Cities R!SE provides its clients with education, training, and the skills development needed to obtain meaningful employment. They do this through career coaching, interview prep, emotional intelligence, tech literacy, workforce skills development, resume reviews, paid internships, and more.

Step 4: Obtain Meaningful Employment Through Twin Cities R!SE

By working with Twin Cities R!SE, people gain the skills and support needed to get a better job. On average, Twin Cities R!SE participants receive an average starting pay of $18.29/hour or $37,359/year, and 73% of participants still have their full-time job after one year of employment.

While Twin Cites R!SE helps people gain meaningful and lasting employment, there is a path for people to achieve even more stability and security. That’s where Twin Cities Habitat comes in.

Step 5: Progress to Homeownership Through Twin Cities Habitat

Twin Cities Habitat helps low-to-moderate income families become first-time homebuyers. Through financial coaching, homeowner education, and an affordable mortgage product, more than 1,600 people have achieved the dream of homeownership. 

With these five steps in place, public housing participants can see a clear path forward from public housing, to solid employment, to homeownership. The path to success may not be a quick one, but it's a solid and supportive one. Twin Cities Habitat, MPHA, and Twin Cities R!SE are showing what's possible when we build forward together.