Senate file 2792 would expand Minnesota Housing Challenge eligibility to contract alternative and tribal schools

Senate File 2792, presented to the Senate Committee on Housing and Homelessness Prevention, would expand eligibility for the Minnesota Housing Challenge Program to include contract alternative schools and tribal nation schools, allowing them to receive grants up to $100,000 to operate construction‑training programs that build homes and provide career pathways for students.

Sponsor Senator Omar Mohamed said the expansion would support programs that deliver a triple impact: student construction skills, added affordable housing, and youth homelessness prevention. Testimony noted that the policy change adds eligible recipients but (according to one witness) does not require additional funds; advocates said the amendment clarifies access to existing program dollars.

Witnesses included Khaliq Rogers of Catalyst for Systems Change, Jill Johnson (executive director of Change Inc., parent organization of GAP School), and a GAP School student. Rogers clarified that the amendment is intended to include tribal and contract alternative schools in the existing eligibility rather than create a separate funding stream. Johnson described GAP School’s youth‑build construction pathway, which enrolls about 50 students in construction training and has built more than 20 homes for low‑income families over three decades. A GAP student testified about earning construction experience and a high‑school diploma through the program.

Senate File 2792 was laid over for possible inclusion in a future omnibus; committee members asked clarifying questions and requested follow‑up on specific program requirements. The bill does not appropriate new money in committee and was not enacted at the hearing.