About Our Affordable Housing
What is affordable housing?
Affordable housing costs no more than 30% of annual household income. There are many different people who need affordable housing, and so there are many types of affordable homes. Follow the link to learn more about affordable housing terms and eligibility.
What does it look like?
Affordable housing can take many forms: new development, renovation or rehabilitation of existing housing, and adaptive reuse of existing buildings. Read about four communities that illustrate the potential of affordable housing.
What makes us special?
Our free on-site services and award-winning property management model ensures that CommonBond housing communities are safe, well-maintained and fully occupied. Follow the links below to learn more.
Onsite Services
Property Management
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CommonBond’s model of safe, affordable housing is an essential element of livable communities, and a means to economic opportunity and success for the whole area. For each home that we manage, we engage partners to create and maintain healthy communities. A public policy task force estimated that CommonBond homes and services save the public over $2 million annually.
Stable homes provide a foundation for success
Over and over again, studies have shown that children who have a safe, stable home do much better in school. CommonBond youth who participate in our onsite academic and social programs advance in grade level and graduate from high school at higher rates than the general population.
Our academic and social programs for youth include Study Buddies, a one-one on academic mentoring program; Learning Circles, a youth mentoring support group; Homework Center tutoring, which connects youth with afterschool tutors on a drop-in basis; and Campfire and Early Childhood programs.
Residents speak about CommonBond
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 "...Without the good people I found at the Advantage Center, I don't think I would be in college today." - Bibi's Story
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 "Because of our experience with CommonBond, my husband and I have good jobs, a home that we love and a healthy place for our kids to grow up.”
- Wendy's Story
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 17-year-old Ahmed and his mentor grin at one another when asked what they’ve learned in the last two years as Study Buddies. - Ahmed's Story
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 As Minnesota representative Patti Fritz says, "Subsidized housing is not a handout, it is a hand up.” - Patti's Story
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 Tufa laughs when she describes how much her five-year-old son likes the Skyline Advantage Center. “All the time he wants to come down here.” - Tufa's Story
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 "When I first moved in I was a little apprehensive and not sure what to expect. I've never been in a building as friendly as this one." - Ray's Story
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Children aren't the only ones learning
CommonBond also helps adults succeed academically, providing adult education like ESL classes, job training, and assistance pursuing higher education. Adult education helps break the cycle of poverty by providing residents with the tools they need to access better jobs and make more informed life choices. Residents enrolled in our Career Advantage program become literate, get jobs, and increase their savings.
Living independently
Seniors and disabled people need homes and services that allow them to live independently. Last year, 534 seniors and persons living with a disability were able to remain living in their CommonBond home thanks to our onsite services.
As Minnesota representative Patti Fritz says, "Subsidized housing is not a handout, it is a hand up.” Our affordable housing with services help families stabilize their lives and keep children in school.
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Affordable housing with services makes communities safer. |
- Engaged property managers prevent problems before they start.
- Stable housing, youth programming, and continuing education for adults all help reduce crime.
- Affordable housing helps prevent homelessness.
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Affordable housing makes communities safer
When CommonBond took over one affordable housing community, we were able to reduce annual police calls to the building by 75%. We estimate that this drop saved the county nearly $300,000 in police and prison fees. Responsive property managers, rigorous resident requirements and quick management of crises lead to safe, valued housing communities. The National Council for Prevention of Crime recommends mixed affordable housing because “neighborhood cohesion and economic stability are enhanced in areas where the continuing supply of dispersed, affordable housing is assured.”
Residents speak about safe housing
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 "It got to a point, with the drive-by shootings and the other problems in our old neighborhood, that I thought, we just can’t do this anymore." - Tereussell's Story
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 “I’d drop Devonje off at school, and Zack and I would come over here. One day, he said, ‘Do you think if we pray real fast, God will help us move in here fast?” - Lonja's Story
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 “I never realized how much of a problem homelessness is for just regular people,” Peggy says. - Peggy's Story
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Affordable housing makes families safer
The gap between what families can afford to pay for housing and the cost of housing is a major reason for homelessness. In Minnesota, approximately 22% of renter households paid over 50% of their income for housing - a figure far above the 30% recommended by the federal government. CommonBond helps keep families from falling into homelessness by making housing affordable and providing services that help adults and youth to stabilize their lives. Right now, there are more than 5,000 people waiting to live in CommonBond’s 100 housing communities in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa. 8,000 people already call us home.
