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Welcome to Our Website!


The film "American Dream Under Fire: Manufactured Home Park Residents Fight to Hold Ground" - produced with the help of HPP and featuring our President, Ann Norton - was nominated for an Emmy Award in the category "Documentary – Topical."

To view the film, click here. To find out more about the issues discussed in the documentary "American Dream Under Fire: Mobile Home Park Residents Fight to Hold Ground," visit the Manufactured Homes section of our website.


About the Housing Preservation Project

The Housing Preservation Project (HPP), founded in 1999, is a nonprofit public interest advocacy and legal organization whose primary mission is to preserve and expand affordable housing for low income individuals and families.

HPP seeks to prevent the loss of affordable rental housing by conversion to market rate, demolition, foreclosure, and other causes. We also seek to foster expanded affordable housing opportunities. Our work involves a variety of innovative strategies, including:

  • Providing technical assistance to local attorneys and tenant advocacy organizations, owners, housing funders, and policy makers
  • Financial negotiating with property owners
  • Pursuing litigation to uphold both local and national laws, enforce fair housing and affordable housing planning requirements, and challenge NIMBYism
  • Seeking local and national policy changes through legislative advocacy
  • Educating the public about affordable housing issues
  • Inventorying the current supply of affordable housing
  • Working with tenant advocacy organizations to organize and empower tenants

HPP attorneys work with tenant and advocacy organizations, public and private housing funders, owners, developers, and policy makers in their efforts to protect and expand affordable housing. Although based in Minnesota, HPP works nationwide.

Contact Us

Housing Preservation Project
570 Asbury Street, Suite 105
St Paul, MN 55104

office: 651.642.0102
fax: 651.642.0051
email: info@hppinc.org

OR

Housing Preservation Project
1555 Los Pueblos Road
Los Alamos, NM 87544

office: 505.310.3347
fax: 505.661.2367
email: info@hppinc.org
Current Highlights
10.24.2006
 This past weekend, HPP staff member Chris Goepfert co-presented a workshop titled "Condominium Conversion Issues" at the nation Housing Justice Network annual conference. Download her powerpoint.
10.18.2006
 HPP, as part of the Minnesota Federal Housing Action Campaign (MnFHAC), is hosting a statewide virtual Federal Briefing Session. To find out more information, including how to participate in the call, download the flyer.
10.2.2006
 HPP filed suit today on behalf of the Kukui Gardens residents in Honolulu. The lawsuit seeks to block the mortgage prepayment, which would allow the owners to sidestep current requirements to sell the project to a nonprofit corporation and deposit the proceeds into a trust for low-income housing. There are 857 families living at Kukui Gardens. Read more here.
7.10.2006
 Sign a petition supporting the Minneapolis Affordable Housing Colaition (MAHC) proposed ordinance on condo conversions in Minneapolis
7.10.2006
 The Brooklyn Park EDA passed a replacement housing policy that will provide a mechanism for replacing affordable housing that is lost as a result of redevelopment projects undertaken by the EDA. This policy is the result of over two years of advocacy by HPP and others around redevelopment in the Zane Avenue corridor.
7.7.2006
On July 21, HPP is co-hosting along with other members of the Minnesota Federal Housing Action Campaign a state-wide conference call to bring attention to proposed federal housing policy and its local impacts.
6.16.2006
Minneapolis City Council Members Cam Gordon, Ralph Remington and Gary Schiff asked the Council to consider making changes to the City’s current ordinance regarding condominium conversions. This is a direct result of MAHC's lobbying for specific changes to the current ordinance that both preserve the affordable housing stock of the city and protect the rights of tenants and homebuyers.
6.6.2006
"American Dream Under Fire: Mobile Home Park Residents Fight to Hold Ground" will screen on June 10 from 8:00-8:30 p.m. on Twin Cities Public Television, Channel 17.
5.28.2006
The Housing Preservation Project's Jack Cann received the 2006 Housing Justice Award from the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law "for your leadership advocacy with the Shriver Center in representing families in Chicago ACORN v. HUD."
5.21.2006
Our bill to eliminate the sunset provision on city condo ordinances was signed by the Governor today! The new law becomes effective on August 1st.
5.5.2006
The Park Closure Notice bill (S.F. 2887 and H.F. 3449) has passed! This bill adds a requirement that notice of park closure be sent to the MHFA and the Department of Health. By centralizing this data, advocates will be more able to track and respond to park closures.
4.17.2006
HPP proudly announces the screening of American Dream Under Fire: Mobile Home Park Residents Fight to Hold Ground, a documentary which highlights our work to protect manufactured home communities. The show will air on Sunday, April 23 at 7:30pm on Channel 17.
4.14.2006
Our bill regarding the removal of the 18-month local ordinance sunset provision for condo conversion regulation passed the Senate with a vote of 64-0. We are now waiting on concurrence from the House.
4.10.2006
The park closure notice bill passed the House by a vote of 122 to 8. It was received by the Senate the next day. It should come up for a vote in the Senate next week.
3.17.2006
Sen. Dibble introduced S.F. 3216 regarding the removal of the 18-month local ordinance sunset provision for condo conversion regulation from Minn. Stat. Section 515B.1-106 and S.F. 2887, adding a requirement that notice of park closure be sent to the MHFA and the Department of Health. HPP staff testified at the hearings on behalf of both bills. Both were passed out of the Senate Sub-Committee and the Judiciary committee.
2.1.2006
HPP is working with the residents of Shady Lane Mobile Home Park the City of Bloomington, and the owner to ensure that the residents received the relocation benefits to which they are entitled. See the "In the News" section of our website for more details.
12.21.2005
HPP and other organizations send letter to RHS regarding voucher program for prepayments.
12.14.2005
Check out the new section of our website on condo conversions and the work of the Minneapolis Affordable Housing Coalition.
9.27.2005
HPP settles lawsuit on behalf of the residents of Shady Lane manufactured home community. The settlement allows CHEC, a nonprofit authorized by the residents, to exercise the right of first refusal to try and save Shady Lane from closure for redevelopment.
9.16.2005
HPP presents at Minneapolis City Council study session on condominium conversions. Read more about the issue here and download our presentation.
5.16.2005
HPP is working with New Mexico Legal Aid and a residents’ association to preserve Del Rey Manufactured Home Park, a 400 lot community in Albuquerque which is threatened with closure for upscale single family home development. This is the first major park closure in New Mexico, the state with the highest number of manufactured homes per capita in the country.
5.5.2005
HPP settles Capitol Plaza case. As part of this settlement, HUD will provide mark up to market rents going forward. The owner has agreed to provide half of the increased revenue from these rents to the Community Stabilization Project in order to help them to run a rent subsidy program for low income tenants.
3.15.2005
HPP challenges the threat to affordable housing posed by the conversion of affordable rental housing into expensive condominiums. To read more about this growing problem, click here.
2.18.2005
President Bush's 2006 budget proposal threatens to cut 375,000 families from the Section 8 program by 2010, with 80,000 families losing their vouchers in 2005 alone. For more information, see the National Alliance of HUD Tenants website.
11.3.2004
HPP worked closely with the Community Stabilization Project, HOME Line and other advocacy organizations and Brooklyn Park residents to successfully challenge the City’s referendum to sell bonds to provide funding for the demolition of 900 units of affordable rental housing.
6.25.2004
HPP settles lawsuit on behalf of the Prince Hall Chambre Tenants Association (Dallas, TX). 78 tenants received project based Section 8 and enhanced vouchers. Tenants were also reimbursed for overpayments of rent. The lawsuit was filed after HUD ordered tenants to vacate the property (and thereby potentially lose their Section 8 rental assistance) due to maintenance problems.
  © 2005 Housing Preservation Project