Policy, Public Notices and Reports

4(d) Rochester-Olmsted County Affordable Housing Preservation Program

The Olmsted County Housing and Redevelopment Authority (OCHRA) is requesting community feedback for proposed modifications to the 2022-2023 4(d) Rochester-Olmsted County Affordable Housing Preservation Program.  This program helps rental property owners obtain property tax reductions while preserving affordable housing for income-qualified renters in our community. In return for the property tax reduction, the property owner agrees to keep the property affordable to income-qualified renters for a 10-year period.  Comments and proposed changes will be collected by OCHRA staff, and recommendations for changes to the program will be presented to the City Council on October 18, 2021, and OCHRA Board of Directors on October 19, 2021. 

Contact Ashley Brusse, at (507) 328-6452 or by the email below if you have questions regarding this request.  Provide feedback for proposed changes and other comments by emailing brusse.ashley@co.olmsted.mn.us before September 22, 2021, at 5 pm.

Notice of Public Comment Period and Public Hearing


The Public Housing Agency (PHA) Plan is a comprehensive guide to Olmsted County Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA) policies, programs, operations, and strategies for meeting local housing needs and goals. The HRA invites the public to review and comment on the Plan and Capital Fund Program. Comments from the public will be received until 5 pm on Monday, September 20, 2021.

The Plan is available for review during business hours Monday-Friday, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM at the office located at 2117 Campus Drive SE, Rochester, MN, or on OCHRA’s website www.olmstedcountyhousing.com.  Click on "Policy, Public Notices, and Reports," then "Public Housing Agency Plan." Comments should be submitted to Cari Kuehn, Housing Program Manager at the above address, by phone at (507) 328-7171 or email at Kuehn.cari@co.olmsted.mn.us. A public hearing to review and receive comments on the Plan will be held on Tuesday, September 21, at 1:00 PM at the OCHRA Board of Commissioners meeting held in Council Chambers in the Government Center, 151 4th St SE, Rochester, MN.

Opening of Olmsted County Voucher Waiting List for Mainstream Voucher

Starting at 12:01 a.m. on Monday, July 12, 2021, the Olmsted County Housing and Redevelopment Authority (OCHRA) will accept applications for the Housing Choice Voucher waiting list on an ongoing basis for its Mainstream Voucher Program until 150 applications have been received.

Only online applications will be accepted.  Applicants may submit an application using any device with internet access including computers, tablets, smartphones.  For those without internet access, computers will be available at the public library express, Monday-Thursday from 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. and Friday-Sunday from 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., located at 101 2nd St SE, Rochester, MN 55904. If you require additional accommodations, please contact OCHRA at (507) 328-7150.

All eligible applications will be placed in a lottery for placement on the waiting list and then randomized. Applications will be pulled from the lottery and then ordered by preference, and this shall compose the waitlist.

To be eligible for a Mainstream voucher, applicants must:

  • Have at least one household member who is a non-elderly disabled person, at least 18 years of age but less than 62 years of age.
  • The eligible household member DOES NOT need to be the head of the household.

The Department of HUD defines a disabled person in 3 ways:

  1. A disabled person is one with an inability to engage in any substantial gainful activity because of any physical or mental impairment that is expected to result in death or has lasted or can be expected to last continuously for at least 12 months; or for a blind person at least 55 years old, inability because of blindness to engage in any substantial gainful activities comparable to those in which the person was previously engaged with some regularity and over a substantial period.
  2. A developmental disability, as defined in Section 102(7) of the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act (42 U.S.C. 6001(8)), i.e., a person with a severe chronic disability that:
  • Is attributable to a mental or physical impairment or combination of mental and physical impairments;
  • Is manifested before the person attains age 22;
  • Is likely to continue indefinitely;
  • Results in substantial functional limitation in three or more of the following areas of major life activity; self-care, receptive and expressive language, learning, mobility, self-direction, capacity for independent living, economic self-sufficiency
  • Reflects the person's need for a combination and sequence of special, interdisciplinary, or generic care, treatment, or other services that are of lifelong or extended duration and are individually planned and coordinated. 
  1. Has a physical, mental, or emotional impairment that is expected to be of long-continued and indefinite duration, substantially impedes his or her ability to live independently, and is of a nature that such ability could be improved by more suitable housing conditions.

Eligibility:

An applicant may be eligible for the program if their income is below the limits shown below. Please note that 75% of new admissions must have incomes below the 30% limit.

Percent of Median Income 1 Person 2 Person 3 Person 4 Person 5 Person 6 Person 7 Person 8 Person
30% (Extremely Low) 20,950 23,950 26,950 29,900 32,300 35,580 40,120 44,660
50% (Very Low) 34,900 39,900 44,900 49,850 53,850 57,850 61,850 65,850
80% (Low) 55,850 63,800 71,800 79,750 86,150 92,550 98,900 105,300

Preferences: 

The Olmsted County Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA) established the following preferences:

  • Residency Preference- The HRA will offer a preference to any family who is an Olmsted County resident.
  • Employment, Education, Elderly or Disabled- The HRA will offer a preference to families who work at least 20 hours/week or have been hired to work in Olmsted County; attend post-secondary education full-time in Olmsted County, or is elderly or disabled.
  • Homeless- The HRA will offer a preference to families who are homeless

Process:

  • Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until further notice. 
  • Final program eligibility will be determined when the family is selected from the waiting list to participate in the program.

About the Housing Choice Voucher Program

The Housing Choice Voucher Program is the federal government’s major program for assisting very low-income families, the elderly, and the disabled to afford decent, safe, and sanitary housing in the private market. The program allows the family to choose any housing that meets the requirements of the program and is not limited to units located in subsidized housing projects. A housing subsidy is paid to the landlord directly by the PHA on behalf of the participating family. The family then pays the difference between the actual rent charged by the landlord and the amount subsidized by the program.

2021 Acop and Administrative Plan

2021 Housing Choice Voucher Waiver Extension

Maxfield Study- 2020

Below is the Comprehensive Housing Needs Analysis for Olmsted County, Minnesota conducted by Maxfield Research and Consulting, LLC. The study projects housing demand from 2020 through 2030 and provides recommendations on the amount and type of housing that could be built in Olmsted County to satisfy demand from current and future residents over the next decade.