HRA explores new funding opportunities and affordable housing options

Kirsten Wisniewski | October 24, 2025

At their meeting on Oct. 15, the Cook County Housing Redevelopment Authority voted to end their relationship with former Temperance Trail developer Peter Grubish. Beyond that action, much of the discussion centered on future planning related to funding and collaboration.

Exploring future funding sources

At a time when many federal funding programs for housing projects have been ended or reduced, the HRA is looking at what other funding opportunities they may be able to use. HRA Executive Director Jeff Brand told WTIP the board is currently looking to pursue funding through the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) Small Cities Development Program. He said the HRA plans to partner with the City of Grand Marais to request $600,000 over several years to provide funding to homeowners in the county to improve efficiency in their houses.

“These would be $25,000 grants that would be useful for things like HVAC, insulation, exterior fascia, windows, energy upgrades,” Brand said. “And so this is basically our energy and envelope program on steroids.’

The HRA board voted to work with the city and county to pursue the funds. Now it is up to those organizations to consider the question and vote on their participation with the HRA.

Community partnerships

In addition to working with municipalities, the HRA partners with other local organizations and projects in the area. Most recently, Brand attended a roundtable hosted by the Northwoods Sustainable and Resilient Housing project on behalf of the HRA. The event aimed to bring together stakeholders in local housing efforts to discuss resources and technologies that could make housing more sustainable, healthy, resilient, and affordable.

“I think it’s another opportunity for us to take a step back and look at what we’ve done and to think about where we’re going to go in the future, knowing that change is inevitable,” Brand said. The roundtable included attendees included people involved in the building trades, real estate, and project development, in addition to individual citizens interested in sustainable building.

Brand added that he sees value in knowing who in the area is working on alternative housing strategies and recognizing that there is expertise within the community. He said that the developers and organizations working on housing in the county should always be considering options are available, beyond typical building methods and materials.

“I think you what we saw in that meeting was the dreamers and the doers were in the same room together, talking about how to implement these strategies, and really showcasing what was done and how it can be replicated.”

Encouraging more affordable housing

Brand said that one area of focus for the HRA in the immediate future will be to better address housing needs for people who earn less than 50% of the Area Median Income (AMI). He pointed to part of the zoning ordinance in Grand Marais that allows for some smaller homes, like auxiliary dwelling units (ADUs), as potential tools for meeting the needs to more affordable housing.

ADUs are something Brand said he is particularly interested in exploring as a way to provide stable housing for both the segment of the county’s population earning 50% or less of the AMI, and specifically several unhoused veterans in the community. He encouraged those interested in being involved in that effort to contact him or to contact the city of Grand Marais.

“I believe that if somebody in the community were to call me up, or to call up somebody at the city, or somebody like that, and say, I would like to help tackle that veteran homelessness, I bet we can connect to you and find ways to make an ADU work for them,” Brand said.

Establishing a housing trust

An upcoming action from the HRA board will be the official establishment of a housing trust fund. The board identified the creation of a trust as a priority earlier this year when they did strategic planning. Brand said the board should be taking that action soon, and is looking at how to attract funds from state and national organizations. He said that some of the initial money for the trust will come from the 1% fee that Cascade Vacation Rentals has collected to benefit the HRA over the past several years.

Brand said that one potential use of money in the housing trust could be to help cover pre-development costs for residents looking to build more affordable housing units, like ADUs.

WTIP’s Kirsten Wisniewski spoke to Jeff Brand about the most recent HRA board meeting. Audio of that interview is below.