A multi-service community-based facility offering a range of support services and resources to enhance skills, employability and long-term career mobility to traditionally under-served populations. Services include: - One-to-one assistance with resume, job search and entry-level placement needs - Job placement, retention and ongoing support services for program graduates - Career development, career awareness, career change counseling, career exploration, vocational assessment - Professional development designed specifically for currently-employed workers - A computer lab that provides self-directed technology usage, as well as more formal instruction - Sector-based classroom job skill programs in partnership with major employers in healthcare and banking - Work readiness training programs for individuals with criminal histories - Employment training and benefits eligibility and review for individuals with HIV/AIDS - Access to information about GED and post-secondary educational programs - Financial literacy coaching - Homebuyer education and pre/post purchase counseling

Homebuyer Counseling: Provides free, HUD Housing Counselors to help clients understand how to be responsible homeowners, determine homebuyer readiness by reviewing finances, checking credit reports, and creating a budget Home Stretch Workshops: Provides certified instructor led workshops that guide potential homebuyers to help determine readiness, make a plan to get there, and prepare for homeownership

Section 8 Home Ownership - Section 8 voucher holders may be eligible for the Section 8 homeownership program - The rental assistance voucher can be used toward a monthly mortgage payment First-Time Homebuyer Program - Allocation for loans to first-time homebuyers available - First-time homebuyers or people who have not owned a home in the last three (3) years may qualify - The minimum requirements are buyers must have a minimum credit score of 640 and must meet income guidelines Homes and Lots for Sale Lots and homes are for sale to any person(s) who are at or below the following income guidelines: - 1-2 persons: $80,400/year - 3 + persons: $92,460/year Lots and homes for sale in the Cities of Elgin, Kenyon, St. Charles, and Wabasha - Income guidelines apply only to the first household to occupy a house - Restrictive covenants are assigned with the lots - The monitoring of each lot will be in effect from lot purchase through the issuance of the Certificate of Occupancy - Private developers are welcome to purchase lot but must sell to buyers who qualify per the income guidelines - Lots prices start at $15,600 and are sold 'as is'

Provides homebuyer counseling and education courses for individuals interested in buying a home for the first time. Programs offered: - Framework Online Classes: Provides an online homebuyer education course. Satisfies the homebuyer education requirements of Fannie Mae HomePath Ready Buyer and HomeReady by Fannie Mae. - Homebuyer Counseling: Free one-on-one counseling service to determine financial readiness to buy a home, help get credit ready, and educate on the process of buying a house and refer to programs that help - Home Stretch In-Person Classes: Eight-hour education course that prepares participants for the home buying process. The classroom-style workshop is taught by expert instructors from the nonprofit, real estate, and lending industries. Home Stretch is a requirement for most homebuyer assistance programs.

Potential homebuyers can educate themselves by participating in one of Dakota County Community Development Agency's homeownership courses such as: - Home Stretch Homebuyer Education Program: Teaches homebuyers about the entire home buying process from beginning to end and the responsibilities of owning a home. Courses are offered monthly with a total of 9 hours. - Pre-Purchase Counseling: Free individual advising to households purchasing a home in Dakota County and have completed the Home Stretch course. Counseling assists homebuyers in developing a plan to become successful homeowners, save for a down payment, or repair their credit history. - Refinance Counseling: Provides one-on-one counseling sessions to homeowners with an opportunity to compare their current mortgage against a refinanced mortgage

- Homebuyer Counseling: Helps individuals set themselves up for long-term success for buying a home. Counselors will: assess the financial situation, address barriers such as credit and debt, determine if an client is ready to buy and help calculate what they can afford, share information on current mortgage loan programs, and refer to down payment and closing cost assistance programs. - Foreclosure Prevention: Helps individuals avoid foreclosure when they're struggling to make mortgage payments. Counselors: review current finances to give a clear idea of options, works with individuals to submit paperwork to apply for mortgage modification, refers to government programs to help save the home, assists with postponing the sheriff's sale to enable more time to work out a mortgage solution. - Reverse Mortgage Counseling: Advises individuals on reverse mortgages which allows older adults who have equity in their homes to obtain cash from their homes without selling them in order to pay for home health care and other needed services. Reverse mortgage counseling is available by phone throughout Minnesota or in person at the Brainerd, Duluth, Minneapolis, and Willmar locations only.

- Debt Counseling and Debt Consolidation - Mortgage Default and Delinquency Housing Counseling - First-Time Homebuyer Housing Counseling - Reverse Mortgage Housing Counseling - Home Equity Loan Housing Counseling - Bankruptcy Counseling and Certification - Student Loan Counseling

Classes designed to help clients get out of debt, improve their credit, save money for the future, get ready for home ownership, learn the basics of investing, avoid predatory lending, and become financially independent. Strategies include: - Budgeting to create savings - Reducing debt - Fixing credit report errors - Paying off collections - Building good credit - Helping to maintain solid income and employment and saving for down payment? - Certified Homebuyer Education course that is often required by lenders Housing Counselors help clients get mortgage-ready and once ready, figure out how to: - Shop for a lender - Pick a loan - Decide on a real estate agent - Find a home - Figure out home inspection, home insurance and closing processes - Housing Counselors assist throughout the entire home-buying process FAIM Matched savings program for down payment and closing costs, often used to help save for first-time homeownership

Provides training, education, and counseling to first-time homebuyers. Classes are open to first-time homebuyers or current homeowners. Offers a variety of homeownership tools to start the journey of owning a home such as: - Framework: Offers access to an online learning option. An alternative course designed to help homebuyers navigate the home buying process and can be completed at their own pace. - Homestretch Workshops: For individuals interested in learning how to buy a home. Local professionals such as real estate agents, lenders, and home inspectors speak about their part in the process. Down payment and closing cost assistance may be available to first-time homebuyers who complete the workshop as well as other eligibility criteria. Virtual workshops are available. - One-On-One Counseling Session: Counseling sessions are free and are focused on affordability, types of mortgages, budgeting, savings, and accomplishing goals

Homestretch Home Buyer Education Program: A homebuyer education program that provides information on home purchasing loan options, purchase agreements, loan closings, budgeting, and home maintenance after the purchase. After class completion, a certificate is obtained which may enable the participant to apply for certain loan programs. MHFA Rehabilitation Loan: Income-based deferred loans for improvements for basic, necessary housing repair to owner-occupied properties. There is no interest or monthly payment until the owner sells, transfer or move from the property or until after the 15th year when the deferred loan is due and payable. Loans is also available to mobile/manufactured homes taxed as personal property located in a mobile home park. Small Cities Development Program Rehab Loans: Income-based deferred grants to low to moderate-income households living in substandard housing. The program encourages the improvement of the general appearance and value of the housing stock while making a visible and substantial improvement in the quality of life in the community. Funds are also available to commercial and rental property owners. This program can provide upgrades to properties, helping them meet code requirements and design standards. Small Cities' grants require a match from the owner of the property. Most grants are written as a 70-80% grant funds and a 20-30% owner match for project funding. There is a maximum amount of funds that a project can receive as well. Prairie Five will assist in determining the match and other funding sources or options that may be available to fund the match requirement, if needed.

Homestretch Home Buyer Education Program: A homebuyer education program that provides information on home purchasing loan options, purchase agreements, loan closings, budgeting, and home maintenance after the purchase. After class completion, a certificate is obtained which may enable the participant to apply for certain loan programs. MHFA Rehabilitation Loan: Income-based deferred loans for improvements for basic, necessary housing repair to owner-occupied properties. There is no interest or monthly payment until the owner sells, transfer or move from the property or until after the 15th year when the deferred loan is due and payable. Loans is also available to mobile/manufactured homes taxed as personal property located in a mobile home park. Small Cities Development Program Rehab Loans: Income-based deferred grants to low to moderate-income households living in substandard housing. The program encourages the improvement of the general appearance and value of the housing stock while making a visible and substantial improvement in the quality of life in the community. Funds are also available to commercial and rental property owners. This program can provide upgrades to properties, helping them meet code requirements and design standards. Small Cities' grants require a match from the owner of the property. Most grants are written as a 70-80% grant funds and a 20-30% owner match for project funding. There is a maximum amount of funds that a project can receive as well. Prairie Five will assist in determining the match and other funding sources or options that may be available to fund the match requirement, if needed.

- Both group workshops and individual homebuyer counseling are available - Framework: An online homeownership education program for both first-time and repeat homebuyers - Referrals to home buyer education and counseling programs to prepare potential buyers for successful homeownership

Provides the following: - Understanding of the mortage loan process - Home ownership counseling

- Financial Freedom training: Provides budgeting to create savings, debt reduction, and asset building, understanding credit, building a good credit rating, consumer protection, and dealing with creditors - Homebuyer Education: Partners with the Minnesota Homeownership Center to provide homebuyer education classes to make successful homeownership possible for low and moderate income households in the community

- Homebuyer Counseling: Helps individuals set themselves up for long-term success for buying a home. Counselors will: assess the financial situation, address barriers such as credit and debt, determine if an client is ready to buy and help calculate what they can afford, share information on current mortgage loan programs, and refer to down payment and closing cost assistance programs. - Foreclosure Prevention: Helps individuals avoid foreclosure when they're struggling to make mortgage payments. Counselors: review current finances to give a clear idea of options, works with individuals to submit paperwork to apply for mortgage modification, refers to government programs to help save the home, assists with postponing the sheriff's sale to enable more time to work out a mortgage solution. - Reverse Mortgage Counseling: Advises individuals on reverse mortgages which allows older adults who have equity in their homes to obtain cash from their homes without selling them in order to pay for home health care and other needed services. Reverse mortgage counseling is available by phone throughout Minnesota or in person at the Brainerd, Duluth, Minneapolis, and Willmar locations only.

- ACT test preparation - Acting - Adapted sports/games - American Sign Language and German language instruction - Ballet - Basketball - Beadwork - Belly dancing - Bingo - Boxing - Bridge game - Chess - Computer classes - Cooking - Drawing - Exercise - Field trips - Figure skating - Gardening - General health education - Gymnastics - Homebuyer counseling - Jazz dancing - Karate - Mature driver training - Painting - Parenting skills classes - Sculpture - Self-defense - Sewing - Snowshoeing - Swimming lessons - T'ai Chi - Table tennis - Taekwondo - Volleyball - Writing - Yoga

Achieve Homeownership: Identifies and addresses barriers to homeownership faced by culturally diverse households and includes culturally-tailored financial literacy classes, homebuyer education classes, prepurchase financial counseling, and downpayment and closing cost assistance programs Multi-Family Projects: Creates and preserves affordable housing throughout southeast and south central Minnesota (Fox Pointe Townhomes, Spring Creek Townhomes, Prairiewood Townhomes, and Northbridge Apartments).?

Provides the following: - Understanding of the mortage loan process - Home ownership counseling

- Financial Coaching: budgeting, banking, credit building/repair, asset-building - Financial Education Workshops - Foreclosure Prevention Counseling and Mitigation - Homeownership Counseling and Workshops - Tax Preparation Services and Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN) Preparation Services

Provides a HUD Certified Homeownership Advisor for free to help households through the home buying journey. Services provided: - An advisor to assess the household's current situation and determine mortgage readiness, review credit report, and answer home buying questions - Helps individuals set goals and action plans - Homebuyer education classes and workshops to understand the home-buying process. Classes are virtual. - Financing options through the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Home Loans program. The loan assists households in purchasing safe and sanitary housing in rural areas. There is no down payment required and no monthly mortgage insurance payments. - Find a home to purchase and refer households to real estate agents and other professionals involved in the home purchase. Income qualified households will be determined based on availability of resources for the Partnership Community Land Trust program. - Low or no interest, deferred loans to cover closing costs or down payments on a home - Walk through closing of a home, review real estate documents, and loan disclosure

- Financial Coaching: budgeting, banking, credit building/repair, asset-building - Financial Education Workshops - Foreclosure Prevention Counseling and Mitigation - Homeownership Counseling and Workshops - Tax Preparation Services and Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN) Preparation Services

- Pre-purchase/homeownership informational workshops and individual counseling on home purchase process - Foreclosure Prevention: Assistance on work-out options with lenders and HUD - Provides free housing counseling

- Financial Coaching: budgeting, banking, credit building/repair, asset-building - Financial Education Workshops - Foreclosure Prevention Counseling and Mitigation - Homeownership Counseling and Workshops - Tax Preparation Services and Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN) Preparation Services

Homestretch Home Buyer Education Program: A homebuyer education program that provides information on home purchasing loan options, purchase agreements, loan closings, budgeting, and home maintenance after the purchase. After class completion, a certificate is obtained which may enable the participant to apply for certain loan programs. MHFA Rehabilitation Loan: Income-based deferred loans for improvements for basic, necessary housing repair to owner-occupied properties. There is no interest or monthly payment until the owner sells, transfer or move from the property or until after the 15th year when the deferred loan is due and payable. Loans is also available to mobile/manufactured homes taxed as personal property located in a mobile home park. Small Cities Development Program Rehab Loans: Income-based deferred grants to low to moderate-income households living in substandard housing. The program encourages the improvement of the general appearance and value of the housing stock while making a visible and substantial improvement in the quality of life in the community. Funds are also available to commercial and rental property owners. This program can provide upgrades to properties, helping them meet code requirements and design standards. Small Cities' grants require a match from the owner of the property. Most grants are written as a 70-80% grant funds and a 20-30% owner match for project funding. There is a maximum amount of funds that a project can receive as well. Prairie Five will assist in determining the match and other funding sources or options that may be available to fund the match requirement, if needed.

Helps with instruction to financial readiness and credit worthiness needed for mortgage loan approval beginning with a 4-part educational workshop. 3 parts are dedicated to pre-purchase and 1 part is dedicated to post-purchase. 1-to-1 pre-purchase financial counseling completes the instruction.