Patricia Anne Smith Neir Memorial ›

Longtime (& very active) Alliance Housing Board member, Fran Neir, and his wife, Patti Anne Smith Neir, made us the memorial beneficiary with Patti’s recent death.  We are humbled and grateful for the outpouring of love towards the Neir family and will steward the resources well helping single adults and families create stable homes for themselves and their children.  Stable housing is the foundation of accomplishing anything in one’s life.   All gifts will be formally acknowledged by Alliance and the list of donors shared with Fran.... Read More ›

A Life Ended Too Soon ›

Thank you to Lawrence Young, a neighbor, who shared this store about Dwayne. Thirty years of oblivion. That’s what most of us would consider the last half of the life of Dewayne Fleming, most commonly known as Brillo on the streets of Minneapolis. But after being shot and stabbed more than once, that is not the term that he would use to describe it. Being kidnapped and locked in a trunk for days only adds to the color of the man who told me "I like my women so black they just short of blue." We met after Dewayne was released from Hennepin County hospital where he had spent a considerable amount of time being treated for congestive heart failure. When I visited him there I could see when his memory kicked in and he recognized me. I hadn't seen him in years but I could tell he had something funny to say but the tubes he was attached to kept him from talking. That's the first and last time I ever saw him at a loss for words. I became Dewayne's neighbor and moved into a place across... Read More ›

Tenant Profile: Selena ›

    Selena has a lot to be proud of. She works full time as a Credit Advisor at Target Corporate, making $15.50 an hour, while raising her son, Sean, who just turned two in November. She graduated from Roosevelt High School in Gary, Indiana in 2011, has a degree in cosmetology, and moved to Minneapolis in May of 2014. In June 2014, Selena came to our program when she found herself without a home. Although she had experienced homelessness as a child, this was her first time encountering homelessness as an adult. While at the shelter, Selena met Melanie, who works with our Northside Supportive Families Program, and got accepted into the program, working at both Target and the Children’s Place for $8.20 an hour. Unhappy with the late hours and low wage, Selena left her retail jobs for a position with Wells Fargo. After being with Wells Fargo for six months, she applied for a job with Target Corporate and got accepted to the position she now has, which she loves. Making nearly double what she earned at the start of... Read More ›

What Sets Us Apart ›

Alliance Housing is 25 years old.  Though many things have changed over time such as staff, leadership, office address, and numbers of properties owned. Our mission and values have remained steadfast.  We believe the totality of the following attributes are what sets us apart from most housing agencies and organizations, and make us good stewards of the gifts we’ve received over the years from many generous individuals and foundations.

• We’re in the business of housing people – not screening them out. Everyone deserves a 2^nd
• Our operations and decision making begins with the lives and realities of our tenants – balanced with the bottom line. We’ve kept our rents some of the most affordable in the market.
• Our resources primarily cover property management operations and tenant services – not administration, fundraising and marketing. We’re lean and effective.
• Our supportive housing program rewards people for working. Coaching helps parents learn new skills that can help them sustain housing and advance in employment long term.

Remaining committed to these attributes has allowed us to establish a critical niche in the affordable housing world. That may sound like standard nonprofit marketing claims but we’ve got evidence to back... Read More ›