The City of Saint Paul has closed applications for the Downpayment Assistance and the Homeowner Rehab programs, which includes applications for the Inheritance Fund, following a high volume of applications. During this pause, staff will process previously submitted applications in the order received.
A cornerstone initiative of Mayor Melvin Carter, the Inheritance Fund is an innovative and people-centered program that affords low-income families from Saint Paul’s historic Rondo Neighborhood the opportunity to rebuild wealth through homeownership.
The Inheritance Fund will be available through two City programs: the Downpayment Assistance Program and the Homeowner Rehab Program.
The Rondo neighborhood is a vibrant and resilient cross-section of Saint Paul, deeply rooted in community and connection. By the early 1930s, the neighborhood was the beating heart for our African-American community and home to thriving businesses, religious organizations and social clubs.
Two decades later, the economic and social diversity of the area was upended when the construction of Interstate 94 began in 1956. The 12-year highway corridor construction project decimated the footprint of the Rondo neighborhood, displaced over 600 families and laid to waste over $100 million in wealth.
During Mayor Carter’s 2023 budget proposal, he shared his vision for rebuilding family wealth that was lost during the highway construct and returning to the sons and daughters of Old Rondo their inheritance of homeownership.
The Inheritance Fund layer in the Downpayment Assistance Program is funded through existing dollars in the Housing Trust Fund. The Downpayment Assistance Program offers assistance to all qualifying Saint Paul homebuyers who make up to 80% of the area median income (AMI). However, the Inheritance Fund layer of assistance is available to qualifying Rondo Descendants earning up to 100% AMI. For applicants that meet the requirements of all of the program layers (regular, first generation and Inheritance Fund), up to $110,000 in assistance is available.
The Inheritance Fund layer in the Homeowner Rehab Program is funded through federal Community Development Block Grant dollars. The Homeowner Rehab Program offers assistance to all qualifying Saint Paul homeowners who earn up to 80% AMI. For applicants that meet the requirements of all the program layers (regular and Inheritance Fund), up to $80,000 in assistance is available.
The Inheritance Fund is available to direct descendants of a property owner whose property was acquired by Minnesota State Department of Transportation for the Interstate 94 highway project between Lexington Avenue and Rice Street. View a map of the boundaries of the Interstate 94 project and nearby Urban Renewal projects. The area eligible for the Inheritance Fund is marked in orange on the map.
A direct descendant is a person who was born into or legally adopted into the direct line of the property owner whose property was taken (e.g., children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, etc.).
The verification process will request the name of the ancestor that owned property and the address of the property, if known. If real estate records from the Minnesota Department of Transportation match the name/address of the ancestor, the applicant will be asked to sign an affidavit describing their relationship to the ancestor and the address of the property taken.
This process is managed by the Rondo Community Land Trust and does not begin until an applicant is next in line to be served.
The Inheritance Fund addresses lost generational wealth and lost community wealth separately. Qualifying descendants can receive up to $100,000 in Downpayment assistance to purchase a home anywhere in the city to address lost generational wealth. If they further choose to purchase their home within the boundaries of historic Rondo, they may receive an additional $10,000 in assistance to recognize the lost community wealth being addressed with the homebuyer’s investment in the historic Rondo community.
In the Homeowner Rehab Program, qualifying descendants can receive up to $55,000 in rehab assistance. If the qualifying descendant owns their home within the boundaries of historic Rondo, they may receive an additional $25,000 in assistance to recognize the benefit to the greater community of maintaining and improving the housing stock in Historic Rondo.
For the Downpayment Assistance Program, the property must be a residential one-to-two-unit occupancy that complies with zoning and code requirements. Individual condominium units, townhome units and cooperative housing units are eligible and considered a one-unit occupancy.
Special requirement for two-unit (duplex) properties: At least one unit must be owner-occupied. Under section 40.04 of the Saint Paul Legislative Code, buyers of two-unit (duplex) properties applying for their first fire certificate occupancy are required to complete Landlord 101 training through the City of Saint Paul.
For the Homeowner Rehab Program, the property must be a residential one-to-four unit occupancy that is owner-occupied and complies with zoning and code requirements, unless the rehab is intended to correct any such requirements.
There is no purchase price limit.
Did you know individuals, organizations, or groups can donate to the Inheritance Fund? No amount is too small and donations can be made anonymously if so desired.
When you donate to the Inheritance Fund, we are able to make the downpayment assistance and homeowner rehab programs go farther, serving more people while spending fewer public resources. At the same time, you will be contributing to the important work mitigating the more than $150 million in lost generational wealth that resulted from the construction of Interstate 94.
All Inheritance Fund donations will go directly to descendants of homeowners whose property was taken for the construction of Interstate 94, through either downpayment assistance funds or home repair funds. If you have ever wanted to be a part of mitigating the impacts of racially unjust policies and events that stripped wealth building opportunities from communities of color, this is a fantastic opportunity to be a part of a one-of-a-kind program doing just that.
For more information or to learn how to donate, contact Jules Atangana, Interim Housing Director, at 651-266-6660 or jules.atangana@stpaul.gov.
Click to view the Frequently Asked Questions about the Inheritance Fund.
The City of Saint Paul has closed applications for the Downpayment Assistance and the Homeowner Rehab programs, which includes applications for the Inheritance Fund, following a high volume of applications. During this pause, staff will process previously submitted applications in the order received.
Last Edited: July 17, 2024
For information on applying for funds:
PED-HomeLoans@stpaul.gov
For media inquiries:
Kamal Baker
Press Secretary
kamal.baker@stpaul.gov