Sentence to Service (STS) Homes Affordable Housing Collaboration

About the Program

Category: Community and Economic Development (Best in Category)

Year: 2011

In 2010, Hennepin County Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HCHRA) staff and Hennepin County Sentencing to Service Homes (STS Homes) staff initiated a collaborative effort to provide affordable housing opportunities to special needs and low-income populations as cost effectively as possible, while allowing minimum-custody offenders an opportunity to learn carpentry skills. The STS Homes program is a one-year, full-time carpentry training program for men and women, primarily from Hennepin County, who are incarcerated in state prisons. The program is a joint venture between Hennepin County and the State of Minnesota Department of Corrections. Through a public-private partnership with the Minneapolis Building and Construction Trades Council, it is able to employ journeymen foremen crew leaders as site foremen. The STS Homes program strives to create comprehensive plans for inmates’ release including a positive support system, a safe place to live, and a quality job. While participating in the program, inmates must complete their General Education Development Tests and obtain a driver’s license. STS Homes has become nationally renowned for its staggeringly low recidivism rates of less than six percent. The revenues generated in-part through this collaboration have enabled Hennepin County to reduce the property tax portion of the STS Homes budget from 58 percent in 2010 to 46 percent in 2011 (equating to an annual taxpayer savings of approximately $120,000).