Minnetonka extends His House contract, adds $150,000 for homelessness response and rental help

The Minnetonka City Council on March 23 voted to extend the city’s service agreement with His House Foundation and to add $150,000 in funding for homelessness response and emergency rental assistance.

City staff said the original contract with His House began in July 2022 and was extended in 2024. Julie Wischnak, a city staff member who presented the item, said the city has used prior allocations to support 63 households since 2022. "We were able to support 63 households with that, since 2022," she told the council.

The council approved resolutions that extend the His House agreement through July 2028 and increase program funding by $50,000 for homelessness response and $100,000 for rental assistance, with the money to come from the Affordable Housing Trust Fund. Wischnak told the council the trust fund balance is roughly $7.3 million and that the new allotment is intended to be responsive but limited: "If for instance, we go through that money by July... we're coming right back to you and ask for more allocation," she said.

Council members asked how His House’s role differs from ICA, the local clearinghouse nonprofit, and whether routing funds through His House delays assistance. Wischnak and other staff said His House specializes in street‑level, emergency interventions and can move quickly in crises — for example, securing short‑term hotel stays or immediate emergency placements — while ICA provides broader intake, counseling and connections to multiple programs. "ICA is a clearing house for people to access a lot of different types of services; His House does street intervention work," Wischnak said.

Staff also explained why the city awards funds by contract rather than as a direct donation: state law and public‑purpose rules require city payments to be tied to services. City Manager Funk summarized the constraint as a public‑purpose requirement rather than a discretionary donation: "The city just can't write a blank check for an organization... it has to be a contract for service."

Residents and community advocates who spoke during the discussion urged clearer communication about how to access assistance and asked whether mutual‑aid networks are reaching people who need help; council members said staff will continue monitoring eviction filings and service demand and return to the council for further allocations if needed.

The council approved the resolutions by roll call vote; council members said the amounts were calibrated to fill immediate gaps without compromising the trust fund's long‑term obligations for affordable‑housing projects.