housing support

Phillips West is home to a mix of historic housing, large housing towers, and small single-family residences - all interspersed with large businesses and institutions. Phillips West is 84% renter, with many of these renters rent-burdened (meaning that they pay more than 30% of their income towards rent every month). 

In the 2021 Phillips West Community Survey, residents identified affordable housing as a priority that PWNO should work on. Many expressed concerns about homelessness while noting how race increases disparities in access to safe, affordable housing. Residents encouraged PWNO to provide residents of Phillips West with resources and information on tenants' rights, including financial resources. They also encouraged PWNO to serve as a bridge between property owners and renters.

Over the summer of 2021, we were lucky to bring on a summer housing intern to start laying the groundwork for how PWNO can address this clear priority. Our intern worked to connect with renters and landlords, and explore how PWNO can better support healthy, stable, accessible housing. By pulling from City of Minneapolis rental data, he was also able to generate a high-level picture of the neighborhood housing landscape: 

There are a total of 1449 rental units in Phillips West, located in over 220 buildings. While many of the buildings in Phillips are smaller, with 1-4 rental units, the majority of rental units in Phillips West are owned by a few large

property owners. Just 10 property owners collectively own around 55% of all rental units in Phillips West.