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Affordable Housing in Northside-Hester Park: LIHTC-Funded Project Addresses Specific Community Needs
CATEGORY
Affordable Housing
DATA
LIHTC Projects
Median Income
Racial Distributions
Population
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Affordable Housing
LIHTC Projects
Median Income
Racial Distributions
Population
Northside-Hester Park, a neighborhood in St. Cloud, Minnesota, features a Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) funded affordable housing project. The neighborhood has 37 affordable housing units, all designated as low-income units. Based on the estimated 1,581 housing units in the neighborhood, the LIHTC-funded affordable housing covers 2.34% of the neighborhood's housing inventory.
The LIHTC program has provided $212,705 in tax credits for affordable housing in Northside-Hester Park. This translates to an average federal funding of $5,749 per unit. The sole LIHTC-funded project in the neighborhood is Linden Grove Veteran Apartments, completed in 2016. This project marks the beginning of LIHTC-funded affordable housing in the area, indicating a recent focus on providing affordable housing options.
Linden Grove Veteran Apartments offers a mix of unit types, including 24 efficiencies, 11 one-bedroom units, and 2 two-bedroom units. This distribution suggests a focus on accommodating single residents or small households. The project targets individuals struggling with drug dependency. This focus highlights the neighborhood's effort to address affordable housing needs and support vulnerable populations with specific challenges.
Over the past decade, Northside-Hester Park has experienced demographic shifts. The population has decreased from 5,116 in 2015 to 4,127 in 2022. The median income has shown an overall upward trend, rising from $42,974 in 2015 to $50,990 in 2022, with fluctuations in between.
Racial distribution in the neighborhood has changed. The white population decreased from 78% in 2015 to 77% in 2022, while the Black population decreased from 19% to 18% during the same period. The Hispanic population grew from less than 1% to 3%, indicating increasing diversity.
The completion of the Linden Grove Veteran Apartments in 2016 coincides with a period of population decline and income fluctuation. This suggests that the project may have been a response to changing neighborhood demographics and an identified need for affordable housing options, particularly for specific populations like veterans and those dealing with substance abuse issues.
Northside-Hester Park's affordable housing landscape is characterized by a single, targeted LIHTC project that addresses specific community needs. While the project covers a small percentage of the neighborhood's estimated housing inventory, it represents an investment in supporting vulnerable populations. The demographic trends over the past decade, including population decrease, income fluctuations, and increasing diversity, provide context for the timing and nature of this affordable housing development. This analysis highlights the neighborhood's efforts to balance housing needs with targeted support for specific populations, contributing to the overall housing ecosystem of the area.
