Our Interest List Paints a Doleful Picture of the Unhoused ›

At Alliance Housing, we’ve always kept an ‘interest list’ of completed applications.  We can’t call it a ‘waiting list’ because vacancies are few and far between, and most people looking for housing can’t wait. With the incredibly low vacancy rate in the Twin Cities, especially for those at the low end of the income scale, that list has grown to 500 for single adults and 250 for families.  When we started, the list was intended to create a pool of applicants, ready to move in when we have a vacancy in our sleeping rooms or 2-3 bedroom apartments.  Since we only have a handful of vacancies each year, being number 213 on our list doesn’t give much hope. We keep adding to the list, though, and it serves as a bit of an olive branch for the 5-10 people who call us each week looking for a home.  We have nowhere else to refer them, so we offer them a free application and a slight chance that we might be able to help them somewhere down the line. Our list also serves as a bellwether for the demand for deeply affordable... Read More ›

Any Donation to Our Expanded Rent Forgiveness Fund Will be Matched by the FS Foundation ›

Since March, Alliance Housing has been able to forgive $1 for every $1 of rent paid by tenants who have lost hours or employment due to COVID or the unrest following the death of George Floyd. The idea of the fund came from Alliance’s staff, who knew that low-wage working adults already had very little margin for recovering from financial setbacks. Getting behind on a month of rent made it nearly impossible to ever catch up. Even though many of our tenants often work multiple part-time jobs, they simply earn too little money to cover basic life obligations. Alliance was able to take advantage of special COVID and emergency funding opportunities offered by The Constellation Fund, Otto Bremer Trust, and the Minneapolis Foundation’s OneMpls Fund. Individual donors and St. Joan of Arc Partners Program also donated to the cause, providing Alliance Housing just under $30,000 to match tenant rent payments. We’ve also been given a $30,000 matching funds opportunity by the FS Foundation to increase the rent forgiveness fund and expand it to our larger apartment buildings. The FS Foundation is on a mission to foster independence, self-reliance, pride of craftsmanship, and... Read More ›

A Solar Array Offsets Costs ›

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Home Provides a Sanctuary During These Unsettled Times ›

Everyone has been affected by the events of this year - the pandemic, civil unrest following the death of George Floyd, economic upheaval, the list goes on. Alliance Housing serves very low-income people who have been hit even harder than many of us. Our older and disabled residents are dealing with social isolation and not being able to gather in public spaces like the library, or even go shopping. Our single and family residents who were making ends meet before the economic downturn caused by COVID-19 are now struggling due to loss of work, or reduction of hours. Or they continue to work, but in jobs that place them in harm’s way, dealing directly with the public or at-risk clients such as in nursing homes, daycares, and takeout windows, while the rest of us are safely working from home or in a controlled office environment. Some hold multiple and temporary jobs, trying to keep afloat. Others sell their plasma or borrow money from family and friends. Some have even pursued getting new jobs during this time, looking for a brighter future. In 2017, before living in her Alliance duplex, Desiree and... Read More ›