Ramsey County details LAHA, down‑payment and eviction diversion plans in HRA briefing

Ramsey County officials on Wednesday gave a joint briefing to the St. Paul City Housing and Redevelopment Authority on the county’s use of its HRA levy, its down‑payment assistance program and planned uses of 2024 Local Affordable Housing Aid (LAHA) funds.

Commissioner Mai Chung Zhang, chair of the Ramsey County HRA, said the county’s HRA levy — which funds county‑level housing work across the county except North St. Paul — has enabled new programs. “Our HRA levy covers our entire county with the exception of North Saint Paul who did not opt in,” Zhang said. County staff described three priorities for the 2024 LAHA allocation: stabilization of existing housing, owner‑occupied and development investments, and rental assistance.

Josh Olsen, county director, and department staff said Ramsey County’s 2024 LAHA allocation is just over $6 million, and the county plans to dedicate about $5 million of that to a competitive solicitation to stabilize existing affordable and supportive housing assets whose vacancy rates and operating revenues have declined since about 2020. The county…