In the coming decades, Minnesota is poised to lose nearly 10,000 units of rental housing in the United States Department of Agriculture's Section 515 Program. This housing currently exists in nearly every county in Greater Minnesota, and comprises a substantial proportion of rental housing for very low-income households. In partnership with Minnesota Housing Partnership (MHP), a nonprofit organization based in St. Paul that supports the work of affordable housing and community development organizations, I propose a mixed-method research project focused on the Section 515 Program in Minnesota. Through analysis of secondary data maintained by USDA and primary data collected from interviews and focus groups with residents and owners of Section 515 properties, I expect to provide government officials, researchers and advocacy groups with more information on the potential loss of Section 515 housing units and policy recommendations to help stem the loss of these units. 

Read the full report about the Section 515 Program here