41 sleeping rooms
You may have heard us talk about our sleeping rooms – an endangered species in the Twin Cities housing market. 41 adult men and women call Alliance’s rooms “home.” Rooms rent for around $350 per month – an amount affordable to someone living on a fixed disability award or $9-$12 hour per hour wages at jobs without regular schedules. Tenants live an average of 4 years in Alliance’s rooms. 20% have called it home for over 5 years and 7% over 10 years. Residents give up a bit of privacy for the affordable rent and share a kitchen and bathroom with other unrelated adults. They cannot have overnight guests .
Dustin was homeless for at least three years before becoming a resident at Alliance’s rooming house. This will be his third winter of stable housing. When Dustin first moved in, he had many problems with drinking, partying with drunk friends, and disturbing his neighbors. Working with Dustin’s case manager through Catholic Charities, Alliance’s property manager, Bob Bono, repeatedly tried to re-direct bad behavior in a non-threatening and non-judgmental way. Dustin eventually realized that having a home was more important than drinking to excess and allowing his friends to party in his room. He’s now on good terms with his neighbors and is working hard to keep it that way. He now sees himself as part of the community.
While Dustin has had his ups and downs with his neighbors in the past – “it’s not Sesame Street” he says, he likes that he knows his neighbors, and that people at the rooming house look out for each other. One thoughtful neighbor occasionally leaves a hot cup of coffee outside his door in the morning. Another neighbor was happy when Dustin gave him a pair of jeans. Many residents set things out on the lobby table for taking – a book, candy, playing cards – and these things always find a new home. He also enjoys the monthly community meals at the rooming house, hosted by the Sahades family from Ebenezer Fellowship SDA Church. He and his neighbors sit around and chat, long after they have finished eating.
Dustin is currently unemployed. He admits to a criminal history, and mental health and chemical dependency “demons” all of which make it hard to find a job. But Dustin is getting counseling, and he wants to get training to become a licensed forklift operator, work that he has done before, and enjoyed. In the meantime, he tries to keep himself busy by taking long walks and bike rides around the city, playing cards with friends, and sharing meals at Simpson. He relishes playing cribbage and carries his cribbage board with him, so he is ready to play anytime.
Dustin is happy to be a resident of Alliance Housing. He’s building up a good rental history. He’s proud to be managing his money and taking care of himself. He’s grateful that he’s in a stable home, where he doesn’t have to “lie, cheat, or steal” to survive.
40 family apartments
The City of Minneapolis is 70% single family homes and smaller multi-unit properties – duplexes, four-plexes etc. These multi-unit homes, embedded in neighborhoods with proximity to schools and parks are great family housing. Alliance’s two bedroom apartments rent for around $750 per month. Three bedroom apartments rent for around $850 month. Families wouldn’t be able to find comparable housing in Minneapolis neighborhoods without paying $300-$500 more per month. Alliance’s tenants earn less than $20,250 per year – they are food service workers, janitors, day care workers, customer service personnel etc. Families stay an average of 3+ years and 24% have called us home for 5 or more years.
It’s clear when you enter Anitra’s apartment on Penn Avenue that she is proud of her home. Shoes are neatly lined up at the door. It’s quiet and calm. Her toddler daughter’s artwork is carefully displayed. Anitra is happy to provide a stable home for her two children, who have never known homelessness. She’s been in her Alliance home for almost a year.
Currently, Anitra is a stay-at-home mom, but she looks forward to enrolling the girls in daycare, and then getting a job, perhaps in the hospitality industry.
In the past, Anitra spent five years being homeless, which for her meant sleeping on the streets, huddling in her car, staying in shelters, and house-hopping at her mother’s, father’s, and brother’s homes – no way to live. Once she got connected with services through St. Stephen’s and then housing with Alliance, things began looking up for Anitra, and she could settle into her new home. The building is close to a park where her daughters can play. It is conveniently located on a high-frequency bus line, with many stores and amenities nearby. The laundry is right downstairs. Most of all, she doesn’t have to worry. She and her family are secure for now. They have clothing, food, and a place to keep their possessions. It’s called “home.”
Alliance is able to keep rents extra affordable in rooms and family apartments to very low income adults through non-amortizing government capital funding and charitable donations.
Hiawatha Commons and Gateway Lofts
Alliance built Hiawatha Commons in 2005 and Gateway Lofts in 2010. Both properties took advantage of the federal low income housing tax credit for construction. Broen Housing, our long time real estate development consultants, also helped Alliance acquire additional non-amortizing debt to assure rents remain affordable for the long run.
Hiawatha’s 80 apartments are nearing their 14th birthday. The building still looks physically great and commons spaces clean. Hayes Gibson, our contracted property manager, does a terrific job in maintenance as well as tenant relations. It was one of the first affordable rental properties built to take advantage of the light rail line on the Hiawatha corridor. Clerks and service workers from the airport can live and get to work without the expense of a car. Others take advantage of the varied bus routes nearby to get downtown and to suburban work locations. Some are fortunate to be able to walk to nearby retail and other employers.
Gateway Lofts located near Thomas on West Broadway was built in 2010 to expand the type of units available at Hiawatha. Its 46 apartments were some of the first few affordable newly constructed buildings on West Broadway which laid the foundation for market rate apartments today. Gateway is home to a number of adults who move around in a wheel chair or motorized cart. Options for mobility handicapped persons were limited in North Minneapolis until newer properties became available.
At both properties, studio apartments, some with balconies, rent for an average of $500 per month. 1 bedroom apartments rent from $465-865 per month. A handful of 2 bedroom apartments rent for about $1000 per month. Households need to earn less than $19,850 for most of the studios. Three person households need to earn less than $42,450 for the 2 bedroom apartments. Both properties are home to tenants who moved in shortly after construction.
Renisha, her husband, and three children thrive in the 4-story community that has been their home for almost a decade. Like Renisha, many of our residents have families, and appreciate Alliance’s quiet, safe, and stable housing at Hiawatha Commons. In addition to the convenience of having nearby transportation and shopping, Renisha likes that neighbors know each other. She is thankful that on-site staff keeps everything clean, repaired, and most importantly, friendly and caring. She loves that her children go to school with other children in the building. Renisha is grateful that Alliance leased to her years ago and let her move into larger apartments as her family grew. Stable housing has provided a solid foundation for she and her family.
