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HRA rehab coordinator outlines targeted, income‑based housing repairs
Summary
Crow Wing County HRA housing rehab coordinator John Schoemer described how trust‑fund dollars are used for income‑qualified, health‑and‑safety repairs and explained program limits, other funding sources and example projects.
John Schoemer, the housing rehab coordinator who works with the Crow Wing County HRA, briefed the board on how housing trust fund dollars are used for housing rehabilitation during the Sept. 23 meeting. He said HRA rehab is income‑based, prioritizes health and safety work (not cosmetic upgrades), and is used as a last‑resort tool when other programs are not available.
Schoemer outlined other funding mechanisms that complement HRA work, including Minnesota Housing Finance Agency assistance (approximately $37,500 for qualifying households) and small‑cities Community Development Block Grant awards, which are highly targeted and applied for. He gave examples: multi‑unit rehabs in rural townships, a single‑family home in Crosby needing window replacement and lead remediation, and structural repairs such as joist replacement.
"Everything that we do for housing rehab is income based... the rehab we do cannot be cosmetic. It has to be actually health and safety driven," Schoemer told the board. He emphasized agreements require landlords to keep a portion of units affordable for a term of the loan and to certify tenant income eligibility annually.
Schoemer said program dollars are taxpayer funds administered with program guidelines and oversight; the trust fund fills gaps for households that do not qualify for other state programs.
