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What Is Affordable Housing?

When people talk about Affordable Housing it can mean many different things. In short, housing is affordable when those living in it are paying less than 30% of their income for their home. “Affordable Housing” is housing designed to be affordable to folks earning less than the Area Median Income (AMI). Some Affordable Housing is for those earning 80% of the AMI and others for 50-60% AMI. Alliance has units at both these levels, but most of our housing is “deeply affordable” meaning it’s affordable to individuals and families earning 30% or less of the AMI. Click here to learn more.

We Screen People In, Not Out

During the Wilder Research 2023 Minnesota Homelessness study, researchers found that at least 3,897 individuals were experiencing homelessness in Hennepin County on just one night in October. Of those experiencing homelessness in the Twin Cities Metro Area that night, 46% reported difficulty finding a home due to affordability, 31% due to credit issues, 20% due to an eviction, and 22% due to criminal history.

In an environment with an incredibly low vacancy rate (the rate in Minneapolis hovers around 5%), landlords pick and choose to whom they rent homes. This results in people with the above factors being screened out and unable to find a home. At Alliance, however, we are in the business of housing people, not screening them out, so we do not deny housing to people simply due to past criminal justice, housing, and/or credit problems. In fact, at least 43% of our residents have at least one factor of these types that may exclude them from traditional rental apartments.

Learn more about our work:

Community Impact Data

From citywide trends in housing availability and homelessness to the stability created through Alliance’s homes, these numbers highlight both the scale of the need and the measurable difference our approach makes.

Resident Stories

Resident stories bring our data to life, showing how stable housing shapes real outcomes and day‑to‑day experiences.

Data Sets

View the latest reports and research to learn more about housing needs and outcomes in Minneapolis.