The Edina Housing and Redevelopment Authority on Aug. 28 approved a plan to spend $875,381.99 in Local Affordable Housing Aid (LAHA) across three programs intended to prevent homelessness, preserve modest ownership housing and fund repairs to homes for people with disabilities.

Manager Stephanie Hawkinson, HRA staff, said the quarter‑cent sales tax proceeds designated by the legislature for LAHA totaled $875,381.99 for Edina in 2025, an increase over a partial‑year 2024 allocation. “This is the second year that we have received the funding,” Hawkinson said, describing eligible uses as emergency rental assistance, acquisition and rehabilitation of affordable housing, financing, and operation of emergency shelters.

Hawkinson proposed and the HRA approved the following allocations: $200,000 to Volunteers Enlisted to Assist People (VEEP) for emergency rental assistance; $581,881.99 to the city’s affordable ownership preservation program (administered through Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity and Homes Within Reach); and $93,500 for rehabilitation at two Mount Olivet Rolling Acres group homes that serve residents with intellectual, developmental and mental‑health disabilities. Commissioner Jackson moved the motion; Commissioner Pierce seconded it. The voice vote was recorded as in favor and the motion carried.

Why it matters: LAHA funds are restricted to housing uses set by state statute and the metro distribution formula; local officials said the program aims to keep households housed when a short‑term crisis would otherwise cause eviction, to preserve naturally occurring affordable housing (NOAH) and to keep disability‑serving group homes safe and habitable.

Program details from the meeting:
- VEEP emergency rental assistance: Hawkinson said the award is intended for short‑term emergency aid (typically up to three months but with authority for case‑by‑case extensions). She said up to 25% of the Edina allocation to VEEP may be used for staffing and administration to process applications and coordinate with landlords. Jennifer Harrison, VEEP’s vice president of advancement, told commissioners that VEEP has distributed hundreds of thousands of dollars in rental assistance and plans to increase in‑person outreach at the city’s new fire station and other community sites.
- Affordable ownership preservation: The HRA allocation will support a land‑trust homeownership model that preserves modest homes for long‑term affordable ownership. Hawkinson said the program has assisted 22 home purchases since 2021, with three more closings pending, and estimated a typical gap per home is roughly $300,000 (the gap is driven largely by land cost). Homes placed in the land trust carry resale restrictions to preserve affordability for future buyers.
- Mount Olivet Rolling Acres repairs: Hawkinson said two group‑home properties that together house about eight residents need capital repairs; the HRA allocation covers an estimated $36,000 for one property and $57,050 for the other, a combined $93,050 (rounded in the approved motion to $93,500) to address trip hazards, deck reinforcement and other safety items.

Commissioners asked for more data on program outcomes. Several commissioners requested demographic breakdowns and counts of Edina residents served by VEEP; Hawkinson said she maintains program draw reports and can provide detailed household and age data at a later date. Commissioners also discussed whether the balance between the three funding buckets best matched current need; Hawkinson said the distribution reflected prior HRA workshop priorities and the immediacy of current needs.

Direction and next steps: The HRA authorized staff to prepare grant agreements and related documents to implement the awards and to return with standard contracts for legal review. Hawkinson said some LAHA funds remain in the city’s account and that staff will monitor use and report back.

The allocations approved Aug. 28 are intended to be spent in accordance with LAHA program rules and the city’s grant agreements; commissioners asked staff to return with additional performance information after programs have operated under the new funding level.