927 W Broadway Ave, Suite 301
Minneapolis, MN 55411
www.urbanhomeworks.org
THE
Greetings Urban Homeworks Community!
In Parable of the Sower, Octavia E. Butler writes, “The only lasting truth is Change”. That statement feels particularly poignant as I reflect on the changes in the past year and the changes clearly coming in the year ahead.
In the midst of last year’s pivotal Supreme Court case decision allowing criminal punishments against people who are homeless for living outside, we saw homelessness in the U.S. reach record highs. Last year, the number of people experiencing homelessness on a single night rose to 771,480—including a staggering 150,000 children without a home, representing a 33% increase over last year.
As I acknowledge and advocate about the depths of our ongoing housing crisis, I ground myself in our collective beliefs. Our community knows that housing is a human right and every single one of our neighbors deserves a dignified home to build their foundation from. Looking forward, I focus on the changes that need to happen to create the future that meets our vision: housing justice for all.
There needs to be dignified rental homes available to the families that need them. There needs to be affordable homeownership opportunities for the neighbors that are seeking to build wealth and greater autonomy over their living space. There needs to be education and understanding around access to resources and legislative changes that affect our lives. With your support, Urban Homeworks is working toward a future where these needs are met.
In the following pages of this newsletter, we reflect on our accomplishments over the past year and outline the bold goals we’re setting for 2025. Recognizing the current climate, now especially, we must step up and take action to ensure change occurs—leading the fight for housing justice as a unified force of diverse community voices.
Thank you for being part of the Urban Homeworks community. We look forward to having you alongside us in the fight this year as we shape change for a better future.
Peace & Blessings to All,
Urban Homeworks’ 2025 Goals & Priorities
In 2025, Urban Homeworks will keep building homes, expanding homeownership, and strengthening community connections. Our main focus areas are housing development, financial stability, civic engagement, pathways to homeownership, and organizational resilience.
Housing Development
In 2025, we will move 20 homes through different stages of development. Early in the year, we will sell four passive homes that we recently completed. In the spring, construction will begin on four more passive homes, two funded in part by Minnesota’s 2023 investment in affordable housing. We will also renovate two properties to sell into long-term, affordable homeownership. We will complete our first BLUU x UHW triplex in the fall, with homebuyer education beginning in January. Lastly, we also intend to transfer seven duplex properties from our Dignified Rentals program into community ownership, promoting wealth-building for future owner occupants.
Homeownership Pathways
We are launching our Homeownership Pathways program to provide pre- and post-purchase support, including credit counseling and homeownership education. Led by Julia Beverly, this program will help more families achieve stable housing. We are also expanding the Homeownership Access Fund, distributing $200,000 more in down payment assistance, with $67,000 already raised!
Financial Stability & Property Management
At the end of 2024, UHW ended a partnership with a property management firm that failed to meet our standards of care, anti-racism, and resident respect. In 2025, we are working on a smooth transition to Mutual Management—our new property management partner—to better serve our residents. Mutual Management will also manage our efforts investing in safe, well-maintained homes for our residents, as our buildings require $1.4 million in repairs and improvements to maintain dignity across 75 homes.
Organizational Resilience & Rebranding
This year marks the culmination of a two-year-long project to rebrand Urban Homeworks. We are excited to unveil our new name and identity— we invite you to join us at our Launch Party on Friday, March 28th! Internally, we are prioritizing staff retention and well-being by embedding resilience, restoration, and rest into our organizational culture. This includes scenario planning, skillset assessments, and workload balance to ensure long-term sustainability and a healthy work environment.
Civic Engagement & Community Building
Our Connected Communities program will continue holding monthly meetings to build relationships and elevate resident voices. We will also encourage voter participation in the city council election and host four Housing Justice Forums to promote dialogue and action on housing justice. We hope to see you there!
Building Homes
BLUU x UHW Cooperative Housing Initiative
In May, we broke ground on the first 3 of 17 affordable housing units in North Minneapolis, specifically for Black and Indigenous families. This initiative is part of our partnership with Black Lives of Unitarian Universalism (BLUU), which is focused on creating community-driven housing.
Passive Homes and Solar Savings
We continued our commitment to sustainable housing with 5 passive homes under construction. The first of these homes is ready for sale, and 4 of the 5 will feature solar energy systems, projected to save families $2,500-$3,500 annually. These homes were made possible through support from Xcel Energy, Minneapolis Green Share, and generous donors like you!
Policy & Advocacy
Advocating at the Capitol
UHW Equity & Engagement Director, Temi Ogunrinde, testified at the MN House and Senate in support of policies that limit ownership of single-family homes by large entities, protecting housing affordability for residents. UHW Executive Director, AsaleSol Young, also participated in a conference supporting these efforts.
Housing Justice Forums
We hosted 2 Housing Justice Forums in 2024, giving community members opportunities to directly engage with elected officials. These forums are crucial platforms for holding decision-makers accountable to our communities.
Tabitha
Dignified Rentals
Utilizing the CenterPoint Grant
In 2024 we used a generous grant of $100,000 from CenterPoint Energy to renovate and make essential updates to our dignified rental properties, ensuring they remain safe, dignified, and affordable.
New Housing Stability Director
In March, we welcomed Jamar Smith as our new Housing Stability Director, a role created to ensure resident care and satisfaction within our dignified rental program.
Connected Communities
Monthly Resident Gatherings
Our monthly gatherings continued to provide a space for learning and connection. We hosted events like a rental insurance workshop, a Back-to-School Barbecue, a Halloween Game Night, and assistance with applying for the Open Road Fund.
Community Volunteer Day
We organized a large-scale volunteer day in June, where the community came together for neighborhood clean-up, flower potting, thank-you card writing, and gift basket assembly for residents.
Homeownership Pathways
Homeownership Access Fund
Launched in 2023, the Homeownership Access Fund distributed $160,000 in down payment assistance to Northsiders purchasing a home in North Minneapolis. Our goal for 2025 is to raise of $200,000 for ten new grants, furthering access to affordable homeownership.
What has homeownership meant for you personally? “It was a beautiful feeling—it felt like a big accomplishment. I’m the first grandkid to finish college and the first to buy a house— it felt like graduating college, we went out for steak right after to celebrate!”
– Vincent, UHW DPA Recipient
New Homeownership Pathways Staff
We are so excited to have Julia Beverly join the UHW team as our new Homeownership Pathways Manager. Was hired in the summer of 2024 and spent her first months at UHW creating the Homeownership Pathways as a pipeline to homeownership for residents.
“I have a passion for housing justice and so does Urban Homeworks. I am here because of the organization’s commitment to unapologetically push back against the oppressive systems that created unaffordable and inaccessible housing in the first place. Access to safe, stable, and dignified homes for all is a must, and I joined Urban Homeworks to make this a reality.”
– Julia Beverly, Homeownership Pathways Manager