>> Mary: A RECORD FUNDING BOOST IS NOW IN THE PIPELINE FOR HOUSING AND THERE'S MORE POLICY PROPOSALS.

WITH US, HOUSING COMMISSIONER, JENNIFER HO.

THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER.

>> GREAT TO BE HERE, THANK YOU.

>> Mary: ALL RIGHT, FIRST OF ALL, LET'S TALK ABOUT THE NEW THING, BECAUSE THERE WAS A BIG BIPARTISAN RESS CONFERENCE, THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN VERY OFTEN AROUND HERE ANYMORE, AND THIS IS ON THE POLICY SIDE, DEALING WITH ZONING, KIND OF THAT MIDDLE HOUSING THEY TALK ABOUT.

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THAT?

>> YOU KNOW, I THINK THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS THAT LEGISLATORS FROM ALL OVER THE STATE KNOW THAT WE NEED MORE HOUSING.

IT DOESN'T MATTER WHERE I TRAVEL IN THE STATE.

CHISHOLM, WINONA, THIEF RIVER FALLS, PEOPLE ARE HURTING AND RENTERS ARE HURTING, PEOPLE WHO WANT TO BUY A HOME ARE FRUSTRATED THAT THEY CAN'T FIND ONE THAT THEY CAN AFFORD, EMPLOYERS ARE TRYING TO RECRUIT EMPLOYEES, THEY DON'T HAVE A PLACE FOR PEOPLE TO LIVE.

PEOPLE NEED MORE HOUSING, AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT THIS BILL IS TRYING TO DO.

>> Mary: DOES IT SPEAK TO HOW BAD THE CRISIS IS, THEN, WHEN THERE'S SO FEW THINGS THAT ARE BIPARTISAN STATEWIDE AND THIS ISSUE CLEARLY IS?

>> I'VE ALWAYS THOUGHT OF HOUSING S A NONPARTISAN ISSUE.

IT TURNS OUT, WE ALL NEED IT.

>> Mary: BUT EVERYWHERE, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT THIS IS -- ISN'T IT URBAN, SUBURBAN, EXURBAN, RURAL, IS THERE A PART OF THE STATE THAT DOESN'T HAVE SOME HOUSING SHORTAGE ISSUE?

>> THERE IS NO LEGISLATOR THAT I TALK TO, THERE'S NO PART OF THE STATE THAT I'VE TRAVELED TO WHERE PEOPLE SAID, HEY, COMMISSIONER, WE DON'T NEED WHAT YOU DO.

THIS IS ABSOLUTELY BEING FELT IN EVERY SINGLE PART OF THE STATE.

AND I THINK THAT'S WHY WE'RE SEEING SOME BIPARTISAN WORK BEING DONE.

>> Mary: AND DO YOU LIKE THESE OUT-OF-THE-BOX IDEAS, LIKE, NOT REQUIRING A THREE-CAR IMRAJ, YOU KNOW -- THREE-CAR GARAGE, YOU KNOW, BACKING OFF ON SOME OF THE ZONING, SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS, IS THAT OKAY TO YOU?

>> THAT'S BASIC WORK THAT LOCAL COMMUNITIES HAVE DONE.

I THINK THAT WHAT WE'RE GOING TO SEE OVER THE OURSE OF THE SESSION IS A LOT OF CONVERSATION, SEE IF FOLKS WHO HAVE DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES ON IT COMING OUT OF THE GATE CAN WORK OUT A COMPROMISE THAT FOLKS CAN LIVE WITH.

>> Mary: HUGE RALLY ALSO THIS WEEK, PEOPLE TALKING ABOUT HOUSING, HOMELESSLY, UNHOUSED, THEY'D LIKE HALF A MILLION AT THE VERY LEAST.

>> B, BILLION.

>> >> Mary: HALF A BILLION IN BONDING, WHAT DO YOU WANT DOLLARWISE?

>> I WANT AS MUCH AS WE CAN.

THE GOVERNOR STARTED WITH A MORE MODEST PROPOSAL, 50 MILLION, .5 MILLION FOR PUBLIC HOUSING PRESERVATION.

I'VE SAID TO THE ADVOCATES, THE GOVERNOR, LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR, NEVER TOOK OFFENSE WHEN PEOPLE SAID, NOW WE WANT MORE AND THAT'S HAPPENED IN ALL THE PREVIOUS SESSIONS THAT I'VE BEEN A PART OF.

I THINK THE REAL QUESTION IS, CAN THEY PUT A BONDING BILL TOGETHER?

I KNOW IT NEEDS TO INCLUDE HOUSING.

>> Mary: LET'S TALK ABOUT THE MONEY YOU DID GET.

>> YEAH.

>> Mary: RECORD BILLION DOLLARS.

WHERE IS THAT, HAVE YOU SPENT ANY OF IT, WHAT'S IT GOING TO DO?

>> ABSOLUTELY.

ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I LOVE ABOUT THE PACKAGE IS THAT IT COVERS EVERYTHING FROM HOMELESSLY TO RENTAL HOUSING, TO HOMEOWNERSHIP.

AND THAT'S REALLY FANTASTIC BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT THE NEED IS FELT ACROSS THE WHOLE CONTINUUM.

A LITTLE MORE THAN A THIRD OF THE MONEY HAS BEEN MATCHED TO PROJECTS ALREADY.

AND THAT'S WHERE THE LEGISLATURE PUT MONEY INTO EXISTING PROGRAMS THAT HAD EXISTING PROCESSES THAT MY STAFF WERE ALREADY WORKING ON.

AND, SO, ABOUT A THIRD OF IT IS ALREADY DONE.

WHAT'S COMING OUT OF THE GATE IN THE NEAR FUTURE IS STUFF WHERE WE HAD A STRONG FEELING THROUGHOUT THE SESSION THAT IT WAS GOING TO PASS.

SO WE COULD BEGIN TO THINK ABOUT IT.

AND THEN WE GOT SOME BRAND-NEW STUFF THAT'S JUST GOING TO TAKE A LITTLE BIT MORE TIME, BUT THE LEGISLATURE KNEW THAT WHEN THEY CREATED SO MANY NEW PROGRAMS.

>> Mary: WHAT'S MOST EXCITING, INTERESTING IN THAT BUCKET?

>> WHAT I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT RIGHT NOW, FIST GENERATION HOME BUYER DOWN PAYMENT ASSISTANCE, $1508 M THAT THE LEGISLATURE PUT INTO IT, IT'S TWO PROGRAMS, ONE WILL BE RUN THROUGH COMMUNITY FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS, ONE WILL BE RUN THROUGH THE MINNESOTA HOUSING MORTGAGE LENDING INSTITUTE.

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING, THIS IS $30,000 OR MORE FOR A FIRST GENERATION HOME BUYER, AND THAT DIFFERENCE COULD BE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THINKING, THIS IS COMPLETELY OUT OF REACH AND I CAN DO THAT.

>> Mary: I READ A STAT RECENTLY, I IKE DATA, STUNNED BY THE AVERAGE AGE OF FIRST-TIME HOMEOWNERSHIP.

IT WAS AT 33, I THINK, LAST TIME -- IT'S UP TO 36 YEARS OLD.

OLDEST IN HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY.

DOES THAT JUST STUN YOU?

>> NOW YOU'RE MAKING E FEEL OLD, I THINK I WAS OLDER THAN 36 WHEN I BOUGHT MY FIRST HOME.

I MEAN, IT DOESN'T STUN ME BECAUSE OF EVERYTHING THAT WE KNOW THAT'S GOING ON IN TERMS OF THE PRICE OF A HOME, THE SUPPLY OF HOMES, INTEREST RATE ENVIRONMENTS, STUDENT LOAN DEBT, ALL THOSE THINGS.

BUT I ALSO KNOW THAT WITH AN ADDITIONAL $30,000 OF DOWN PAYMENT ASSISTANCE, THAT SOME FOLKS WHO FEEL LIKE IT'S OUT OF REACH, REALLY SHOULD TAKE A LOOK AT WHETHER OR NOT THIS MAKES IT POSSIBLE FOR THEM TO BUY A HOME.

>> Mary: I WONDER IF ALL THIS INFUSION OF CASH, ALL THE BIPARTISAN SUPPORT MAKES YOU DEFINITELY WANT TO STICK AROUND FOR THIS WHOLE TERM, ALL FOUR YEARS.

>> OH, I'M -- YEAH, IF THE GOVERNOR WILL KEEP ME, I'M HERE.

I LOVE THIS JOB.

IT'S A FANTASTIC JOB.

TO BE ABLE TO RESPOND TO THIS BASIC HUMAN NEED ACROSS THE STATE, TO BE ABLE TO SUPPORT THE ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE WILLING TO DO IT, AND, YOU KNOW, IT'S PRETTY FUN TO BE THE HOUSING COMMISSIONER WITH AN EXTRA BILLION DOLLARS.

>> Mary: IS IT THE BEST JOB IN STATE GOVERNMENT RIGHT NOW?

>> YOU KNOW, I TOLD MY CABINET PEERS THAT THE DAY BEFORE OUR FIRST DAY, THAT I HAD THE BEST JOB IN THE CABINET.

AND, YOU KNOW, I JUST THINK THAT THE OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE THESE INVESTMENTS ACROSS THE HOUSING CONTINUUM, BECAUSE PEOPLE REALLY NEED IT.

THEY REALLY REALLY NEED IT.

>> Mary: THANK YOU SO MUCH, COMMISSIONER.

>> THANKS FOR HAVING ME.

>> Mary: REALLY INTERESTING.

ALL RIGHT, THIS WEEK'S