News

2019 Annual Report

SEMMCHRA is continuing to offer its in-person homebuyer education class, Home Stretch, on-line.  Participants can get all the benefits of the in-person class without leaving home.  Participants will be emailed a link to join an on-line video conference where they will be able to listen to presentations by homebuyer counselors, lenders, real estate agents, & home inspectors.  Participants will also be able to ask the presenters questions during these presentations as they learn about the entire homebuying process.

Participants can choose from classes held on two weeknights from 5:30-10 PM or on two consecutive Saturdays from 8:30 AM-1 PM.  Participants must attend both 4.5-hour class sessions to earn a certificate.  The cost of the class is $25 and pre-registration is required.

Participants must have access to a computer, tablet, or smartphone and have a reliable internet connection.  Our full class schedule is available on our website, https://www.semmchra.org/home-ownership/homebuyer-education-classes/.

Whether you are trying to buy a home or just want to better understand the process, SEMMCHRA’s Home Stretch class can help!

For more information on, or to register for the virtual Home Stretch class visit www.semmchra.org or contact Tressa at (651) 565-2638 ext. 204 or email tsauke@semmchra.org.  This program is an equal housing opportunity program.

Has the COVID-19 pandemic made the dream of owning a home seem impossible?  Do you need help creating a plan to get caught up on bills and missed payments?  SEMMCHRA is here to help.  We offer a free Financial Wellness program designed to assist people with budgeting, developing savings plans, debt management, and improving credit.

Whether you are trying to buy a home or just get on better financial footing, SEMMCHRA’s Financial Wellness can help!

For more information on this program visit https://www.semmchra.org/home-ownership/financial-wellness/or contact Tressa at (651) 565-2638 ext. 204 or email tsauke@semmchra.org.  This is an equal housing opportunity program.

SEMMCHRA – Committed to Fair Housing & Equality

Our community, our state, our nation are all continuing to be roiled by the events sparked by the killing of George Floyd and the raw, painful, and deep injustices stemming from generations of racism, and racist systems and institutions.  As a leader in affordable housing and community development, we already understand how racist systems have divided our communities and prevented people of color and indigenous from accessing opportunity and wealth building. Racial covenants, redlining and other denials of housing opportunity are part of the racist systems that led to George Floyd’s death. All of us, and especially those of us who are white, have much work to do to understand and dismantle these racist policies, systems and institutions. Here are some things we can do, to start that process:

1. Support community-based organizations that are led by POCI. These could include:  Black Visions Collective, Reclaim the Block and the Northside Achievement Zone.

2. Learn about the history of racism. Revisit Mapping Prejudice, Voices of Rondo, Jim Crow of the North, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City, The Illusion of Choice: Evictions and Profit in North Minneapolis.  Each of these, and so many others, provide insights into how structural racism has created racist housing policies that impact our daily lives and SEMMCHRA’s core mission and work.

3. Talk to friends, family, neighbors.  This horrifying murder has opened up painful truths about ourselves and our community but also provides an opportunity to start and continue conversations about the underlying structures of racism and how each of us can commit to the hard and complicated work of true reform and change. This isn’t just a moment in time, it’s a spark for ongoing change.

Fair Housing is interwoven into the mission and vision of SEMMCHRA. We are an equal housing provider and prohibit discrimination in renting housing based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status, and disability.  BUT, now is the time to relook, analyze, challenge ourselves and our thinking to ensure that Fair Housing and race equity are at the fore front of our decision and policy making across the organization.  We are committed to serve all equally and fairly across our communities of Southeastern MN and want to play a role in supporting solutions that work for everyone – join the challenge to be better and think broader.

Peace and be well,

Buffy J. Beranek, Executive Director

Southeastern MN Multi-County Housing & Redevelopment Authority (SEMMCHRA)

Free Homebuyer Education Classes in June for Homeownership Month!

Let SEMMCHRA help you achieve your dream of owning a home.  SEMMCHRA has several programs geared toward helping people achieve homeownership.  Whether you are just starting to think about buying a home or you are applying for a mortgage, SEMMCHRA can help.

For individuals interested in buying a home, but need to raise their credit score, increase their savings, or pay down debt SEMMCHRA offers Financial Wellness.

For individuals who are ready to buy a home but would like to review their mortgage options or budget, SEMMCHRA offers Pre-Purchase counseling.

An important, but often overlooked, part of the homebuying process is attending a homebuyer education class.  SEMMCHRA provides Home Stretch, an 8-hour homebuyer education class.  Attending the class gives participants the opportunity to learn about the entire homebuying process from lenders, real estate agents, home inspectors, and housing counselors.  Buying a home is the most expensive thing most people ever purchase.  Be an informed, prepared buyer with Home Stretch.

Currently, all SEMMCHRA’s Home Stretch classes are being offered online.  You can take the class from the comfort of your own home.  It has never been easier to attend a workshop and all classes in June are FREE!  SEMMCHRA’s entire Home Stretch schedule and registration form can be found at https://www.semmchra.org/home-ownership/homebuyer-education-classes/.

If you are looking for mortgage product options and are a first-time homebuyer, ask about the Start-Up program made possible by the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency.  The Start-Up program is a mortgage product available to first-time homebuyers.  It allows buyers to enjoy affordable, fixed interest rates and low down payment requirements.  Funds are limited and are available to qualified applicants on a first come, first served basis.

SEMMCHRA has a down payment and closing cost assistance program available to qualifying homebuyers who are looking to purchase a home in Goodhue County, excluding the city of Red Wing.  The Goodhue County Housing Trust Fund Workforce Housing Assistance Program provides $5,000 in down payment and closing cost assistance to eligible applicants.  The assistance is in the form of a low interest loan that is payable over 5 years.  This program is available to all homebuyers, not just those looking to purchase their first home.  To read the program guidelines or to apply, please visit https://www.semmchra.org/home-ownership/goodhue-county-housing-trust-workforce-housing-assistance-program/.

For our Housing Choice Voucher recipients, SEMMCHRA offers the Section 8 Homeownership Program.  If you have been a voucher recipient for at least one year and you are pre-approved for a mortgage, you may be eligible for this program.  Participants in the Section 8 Homeownership Program pay a portion of their mortgage, with their housing voucher paying the rest.

For more information about any of SEMMCHRA’s homeownership programs, please contact the Self Sufficiency and Homeownership Coordinator, Tressa Sauke, at 651-565-2638 ext. 204 or at tsauke@semmchra.org.  Information about all these programs can also be found at www.semmchra.org.  These are equal housing opportunity programs.

SEMMCHRA to begin offering virtual, on-line Home Stretch classes! 

SEMMCHRA is now offering its in-person homebuyer education class, Home Stretch, on-line.  Participants can get all the benefits of the in-person class without leaving home.  Participants will be emailed a link to join an on-line video conference where they will be able to listen to presentations by homebuyer counselors, lenders, real estate agents, & home inspectors.  Participants will also be able to ask the presenters questions during these presentations as they learn about the entire homebuying process.

Participants can choose from classes held on two weeknights from 5:30-10 PM, two weekday mornings from 8:30 AM-1 PM, or on two consecutive Saturdays from 8:30 AM-1 PM.  Participants must attend both 4.5-hour class sessions to earn a certificate.  The cost of the class is $25 and pre-registration is required.

Participants must have access to a computer, tablet, or smartphone and have a reliable internet connection.  Our full class schedule is available on our website, www.semmchra.org.

Whether you are trying to buy a home or just want to better understand the process, SEMMCHRA’s Home Stretch class can help!

For more information on, or to register for the virtual Home Stretch class visit www.semmchra.org or contact Tressa at (651) 565-2638 ext. 204 or email tsauke@semmchra.org.  This program is an equal housing opportunity program.

$1,047,419.00 Available for Loans to First Time Homebuyers

in Goodhue, Wabasha, and Winona Counties

The Southeastern Minnesota Multi-County Housing and Redevelopment Authority announced that Goodhue, Wabasha, and Winona Counties received a $1,047,419 allocation to provide homeownership opportunities through single-family mortgage revenue bonds.  The mortgage offered is a 30-year, fixed rate loan.  These funds are available exclusively to residents in Goodhue, Wabasha, and Winona Counties (excluding the Cities of Red Wing and Winona) on a first come, first served basis!

Qualified first-time homebuyers who meet established income limits may be eligible to receive down payment or closing cost assistance.  Funds may be used for the purchase of a new or existing home.  The purchase price limit of a home is $283,300.

Homebuyer education is required for some Minnesota Housing Finance Agency loan programs.  SEMMCHRA now offers homebuyer education classes and homebuyer counseling services.

To obtain a list of local participating lenders, program requirements or information on homebuyer education & counseling, homebuyers can contact the Southeastern Minnesota Multi-County Housing and Redevelopment Authority and talk with Tressa at 651-565-2638, ext. 204 or email tsauke@semmchra.org.  Visit our website at www.semmchra.org for more information.  This is an equal housing opportunity.

Congratulations to the City of Kasson on their Small Cities Development Program grant totaling $517,500, which will be used to rehabilitate 20 owner-occupied homes.  For more information or to apply, please contact Jessica at 651-565-2638, ext. 221 or email jvollmer@semmchra.org.