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- EIN 41-2019107
- (952) 401-7071
- 5100 Thimsen Ave Ste 120 Minnetonka MN 55345-4165 USA
- www.homeswithinreach.org
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Nonprofit Overview
Causes: Homeless & Housing, Housing Development, Construction & Management
Mission: West hennepin affordable housing land trust (whahlt) dba homes within reach (hwr) was created in may 2001; a community land trust whose service area is the 44 communities of suburban hennepin county; and currently active in twelve (12) communities in the suburbs of hennepin county. West hennepin affordable housing land trust vision is to transform people's lives through homeownership. The mission is to use the community land trust practice to provide affordable homeownership for working families that would be otherwise unable to purchase a home in the west hennepin suburban communities, offering both communities and homebuyers the ability to sustain permanently affordable homeownership.
Programs: West hennepin affordable housing land trust (whahlt) dba homes within reach (hwr) has implemented the community land trust practice in twelve (12) hennepin county suburban communities since the spring of 2002. Whahlt was created to increase the number of homeownership opportunities that exist for working households in suburban hennepin county. The mission is to use the community land trust practice to provide permanently affordable ownership housing for working families that would be otherwise unable to buy a home in the hennepin suburban communities, offering both communities and homebuyers the ability to sustain long-term affordable homeownership. This is achieved by acquiring and retaining the ownership of real property, rehabilitating and then selling the improvements (home) to homeowners earning less than 80% area median income. This arrangement between the homeowner and hwr protects housing affordability in perpetuity by ensuring that the home is affordable for low to moderate income workforce households upon the sale and future sales of a single-family home. As of august 31, 2018, whahlt has acquired 138 properties since it began creating and preserving affordable homeownership and has assisted 168 families in purchasing a homes in the communities of bloomington, brooklyn park, deephaven, edina, eden prairie, golden valley, maple grove, minnetonka, new hope, richfield, st. Louis park and wayzata. The reason for growing in these specific communities is that each one of these cities has demonstrated a willingness to collaborate with whahlt in creating affordable homeownership. The program offers an opportunity for work-force households to become homeowners, which in turn stabilizes the family unit, adds value to the community where they work or live, by increasing the labor pool to local businesses, adding new families to the community, preserving and rehabilitating of existing housing stock and providing a mechanism to invest in long-term affordable homeownership, thereby linking housing with jobs, transit and support services.