As the cost of living rises, HRA talks increasing affordable housing stock and access

Kirsten Wisniewski | March 25, 2026

Across the country, the housing challenges facing many communities hinge on two things: availability and affordability. In Cook County, the Housing Redevelopment Authority has backed projects that would increase the number of housing units in the area across a range of price points. HRA Executive Director Jeff Brand told WTIP about how the organization is looking to support access to existing housing and provide opportunities for future affordable development.

Affordability at the Heights Bluffs

The March 18 HRA board meeting kicked off with a presentation from the Cook County Real Estate Fund (CCREF), the developer group behind the recently completed Heights Bluffs apartments. Half of the apartments in the 36-unit building are designated for income-qualified subsidized rent. To be eligible for those units, renters must earn below the Area Median Income (AMI).

The Minnesota Housing Finance Agency determines the AMI to establish what level of assistance a renter might qualify for. At the Heights, the subsidized units are available for households earning no more than either 60% or 80% of the AMI.

The presentation by the CCREF highlighted, however, that even with those subsidized units available, there is still concern about the cost of rent for some households. Dennis Rysdahl, Patty Beyer, and Gary Latz told the HRA board that for applicants who earn just over the income cap and therefore are not eligible for subsidized units, the cost of the rent they do qualify for can become unsustainable.

The cost of renting

For renters across the state, monthly housing costs have increased in recent years. Brand told WTIP that according to the most recent Minnesota Housing Partnership State Housing Profile, 48% of renters, over 300,000 residents, in the state are considered “cost burdened.” The profile also reported that some homeowners also qualify as cost-burdened, with 20% of owners, roughly 340,000 people, falling into that category.

The cost-burdened label comes from the idea that housing should make up about 30% of a household budget. That metric was developed during the early 20th century when policymakers evaluated how much assistance to offer through various federal housing programs. If a household is spending more than 30% of income on housing, they are considered cost-burdened. In cases where over 50% of income is going to housing, the household is considered severely cost-burdened.

Nearly a quarter of renters in Minnesota fall into the severely cost-burdened category.

Brand pointed out that the cost burden was impacting Minnesotans across age demographics. 63% of seniors and 23% of children live in households that are cost-burdened. “We’re dealing with a dynamic that encompasses all the generations of people who live in the state,” Brand said.

Addressing the cost burden at the Heights

For those renting at the Heights, the CCREF is looking to assist cost-burdened tenants. The group plans to solicit donations from outside sources to be held in an account managed by the Boreal Waters Foundation. Those funds would be used to help cover a portion of rent for cost-burdened residents. Brand told WTIP that the HRA will act as an intermediary between Boreal Waters and the Bachand Property Management company, which manages the Heights. The HRA will provide additional oversight of the program.

“Our goal with this project is to try to guarantee successful tenancies,” Rysdahl said. He said that cost-burdened tenants may end up having to make cuts elsewhere in their lives, like skipping car payments or ending health insurance.

” The numbers don’t lie. That’s the number of people and those that people who are affected. Again, all generations of Minnesotans,” he said. “And at the end of the day, that’s a policy decision. We could be making a different policy decision. What we’re trying to do for the Heights is an alternative to the policy decisions that are coming from the state and federal levels.”

Planning affordable housing on the west end

At their March 24 meeting, the Cook County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to convey a property to the HRA for $1. The property is earmarked specifically for affordable housing. The parcel was acquired through a land swap and was part of a collection of mostly tax forfeiture properties that the county voted to reclassify in preparation for future sale.

The property that the county will convey to the HRA is adjacent to a parcel that the HRA already owns. The properties neighbor the Birch Grove School in Tofte. Tofte Township identified the existing HRA property as a site for an affordable housing development several years ago. The township board has reiterated its commitment to accessible housing at that site in recent years.

Brand said as the HRA looks to build affordable housing in the west end, acquiring property through the county could help keep the cost of future development down, and home prices more attainable. There will still be significant infrastructure costs, like road construction and building septic systems, for any development, but Brand said the goal will remain to keep the price of homes as low as possible.

With the increased acreage soon to be available for construction, Brand said the HRA hopes to present the pair of properties as an opportunity for a phased development, where a builder could begin on a smaller scale and then continue to add to the development.

WTIP’s Kirsten Wisniewski spoke with HRA Executive Director Jeff Brand. Audio of that interview is below.