Our Mission:
The mission of Urban Homeworks is to lead the fight for housing justice so that all people have a safe, stable, and dignified place to live.

Our Vision:
Housing justice for all.

 

Urban Homeworks (UHW) is a community-centered nonprofit based in North Minneapolis that uses stable homes to build strong communities, and strong communities to advocate for an equitable housing system. Since our founding in 1995, the organization has provided affordable, stable rental homes for low-income households throughout the Twin Cities. In 2006, UHW added home construction and rehabilitation to our program offerings, recognizing the perpetual shortage of affordable homeownership options for low- to middle-income purchasers. In 2022, we began building the bridge between these two programs, offering homeownership and financial literacy courses to our rental residents to provide the tools to make buying a home a reality for first-generation homebuyers. Foundational to all our work is a community-centered program design that prioritizes community voice, organizes resident forums, and implements equitable housing policy and programs rooted in the wisdom and care neighbors have for each other.

Our work, and the mindset by which we do it, is modeled after the example of brazen, unapologetic social justice left by Jesus.  We invite people of all spiritual and religious beliefs, genders, orientations, abilities, cultural and class identities to join us in this fight. Black, Indigenous, and other POC are highly encouraged to get involved.

 

 

We Build Affordable Homes

Urban Homeworks is working to close the racial gap in homeownership by developing high-quality, energy-efficient rehabilitations and new constructions in North Minneapolis to be sold at affordable rates to low- and middle-income, first-time buyers.

Our goal with affordable homeownership development is to transfer community ownership to BIPOC community members who have been left out of homeownership for far too long. We work to ensure sale prices and down payment assistance are accessible for various household sizes and incomes. We also build strong relationships with Urban Homeworks residents who want to pursue homeownership and provide resources and support to make their dream a reality through our Equity and Engagement program. READ MORE.

 

We Provide Dignified Rentals

Urban Homeworks owns 134 affordable rental units that are home to roughly 450 individuals in North and South Minneapolis and Frogtown St. Paul. We provide dignified, affordable single-family houses, duplexes, and small-scale apartment buildings to those predominantly at or below 50-60% of the area median income (AMI). Our aim is dignified housing—housing that is affordable, high-quality, and includes a supportive network of resources from local community partners and a responsive property manager. A stable rental home is one of many tools that can reach a much grander vision of repairing generations of discrimination, divestment, and extraction in our communities. READ MORE.

Email rental@urbanhomeworks.org to be notified when vacancies become available.

**If you are a resident and have maintenance concerns, please reach Property Solutions and Services at the numbers below: 

UHW/PSS Maintenance Line: 612-598-6545

UHW/PSS EMERGENCY Line: 612-746-0400

 

We Empower and Engage

At Urban Homeworks, we believe a dignified, stable home is the foundation from which equitable communities are built. Our Equity and Engagement (E&E) team was created with this in mind. Recognizing that community power lies within the people living in UHW rental homes, our E&E team centers the voices of our residents with every decision we make and every project we pursue. Our goal is to co-create communities where trust among neighbors is high, connections are strong, and historically silenced voices are amplified and heard to transform their neighborhoods. READ MORE. The three strategies we employ are: