Simplified: The City of Sioux Falls last year spent more than $3.6 million in federal, state and local dollars to make housing more accessible. Here's a look at some of the programs funded and who they helped.

Why it matters

  • Accessible housing is a key tenet of Mayor Paul TenHaken's "One Sioux Falls" framework – i.e. the lens through which all city decisions are made.
  • The city runs a handful of programs designed to both help connect people with housing and restore existing properties in town.
  • City housing programs also rely on a number of partnerships with nonprofits in town who help with everything from providing temporary shelter services to rehabilitating homes.
"Our partners are really good at what they do, and we try not to be all things for everyone," Housing Development Manager Logan Penfield told City Council Tuesday afternoon.

Tell me more about city-run housing programs

The city has five city-administered programs related to housing. Here's a breakdown of what each one did in 2022, as shared in the city's annual report to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Single Family Rehab

  • This is the largest and most successful city-run housing program, Penfield said. It provides loans up to $30,000 to homeowners, and repayment of the loan is only required if the house is being sold.
  • Last year, 155 projects were underway (111 of those were completed) to the tune of $1.12 million.

Mobile Home Repair

  • Eight projects were completed to repair mobile homes in town with just shy of $24,000 spent.

Rental Rehab

  • These are short-term loans to landlords who are looking to improve rental units, and the average repair cost is about $5,000 per unit, Penfield said.
  • In 2022, the city spent just over $600,000 across 19 projects.

Neighborhood revitalization

  • The goal of this program is helping people with home ownership, and partners include Affordable Housing Solutions and Habitat for Humanity.
  • In 2022, the city spent a total of about $550,000 and started 13 projects .

Down payment assistance

  • This program provides up to $20,000 in down payment assistance to qualifying public safety officials who buy a house in certain targeted neighborhoods.
  • In 2022, the program provided $60,000 to help purchase three homes, and Penfield said there are another nine people who've been approved but are still searching for a home to purchase.

Tell me more about nonprofit partnerships

The city works with nonprofits to help find housing for people anywhere from zero to 110% of the average median income.

  • Partners include the St. Francis House, Union Gospel Mission, Safe Home, South Eastern Development Foundation and more.

Here's a handy chart showing all the programs and partnerships:

What happens next?

The city's 2023 HUD Action Plan outlines three goals:

  1. Expand and maintain affordable housing
  2. Connect people to resources to stabilize housing
  3. Assist people who need help with rehabilitation.

The city is also watching to see what will happen with $200 million in state funds directed toward affordable housing.

"I want to have shovel-ready projects ready to rock and roll," Councilor Alex Jensen said. "So when that money is available to us for the city, we're ready to move it forward ... I want to be the first project done in the state with those housing dollars."