The City of Saint Paul has released the second solicitation for the 30% AMI Deeply Affordable Housing Program. Applications are due Wednesday, November 30, 2022 by 4:30 p.m.
The current solicitation aims to facilitate the creation of multifamily rental housing units affordable to households at or below the 30% Area Median Income (AMI) level ($35,190 for a family of four). This solicitation has an added focus on increasing the supply of permanent supportive housing and prioritizing equitable development.
“Homelessness ends when there is an adequate supply of deeply affordable, supportive housing,” said Tara Beard, housing director for the City of Saint Paul. “By focusing our solicitation on this critical part of the housing continuum, we will continue our mission to build a Saint Paul that works for all residents.”
This is the second solicitation for the City of Saint Paul’s 30% AMI Deeply Affordable Housing Fund. Through this program, the City will invest $37 million of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to increase the supply of housing for extremely low-income residents earning less than 30% of the Area Median Income.
Five projects were selected from the first solicitation based on their alignment with the City’s goals and the amount of available funding. Earlier this year, the City Council approved ARPA funding for two of the projects — the Twelve-22 project in the Midway neighborhood and the Soul Apartments on the West Side. The three additional projects should be recommended for funding and go before the City Council for award approval in early 2023.
The funding from the first solicitation will help to create 110 new units of deeply affordable housing (at 30% AMI or below) and the second solicitation is estimated to add approximately 100 more. This would equate to a more than tenfold increase in the amount of 30% AMI units permitted in Saint Paul over the next three years as compared to 2019 through 2021, when a total of 20 deeply affordable units were permitted in the City of Saint Paul.
"Access to safe, stable and affordable housing is one of the greatest predictors of future success," said Mayor Carter. "By investing in affordable housing opportunities for low-income residents, we are helping families lay the foundation on which they can confidently build long term plans."
Ramsey County has also dedicated $37 million of ARPA funds for deeply affordable housing. This historic public investment of $74 million – one of the largest in the nation – will dramatically expand affordable housing in the east metro.
“We are grateful for President Biden, Senator Klobuchar, Senator Smith and Representative McCollum for making this major investment in affordable housing possible,” shared Ward 3 Councilmember and Saint Paul Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA) Board Chair Chris Tolbert during the initial announcement in December 2021.