AIA Minnesota — Committees – Housing Advocacy

Housing Advocacy

October 2012 HAC members
2012 Search for Shelter Charrette
2012 Search for Shelter Charrette

The Housing Advocacy Committee (HAC) seeks to positively influence affordable housing and homeless issues. We focus on how Architects and other designers might be key players in helping address these important social issues.

As a HAC member, you may assist in planning our annual events, including our annual Design Charrette, that benefit local housing agencies.

We are always looking for passionate volunteers to join the committee, if interested please contact Mary Larkin.

Chair: Jennifer Hilla Schlag, AIA and Ben Ptacek, Assoc. AIA

AIA Staff Liaison: Mary Larkin

Meeting Date: Summer break for June & July - then back to the regular schedule of the first Tuesday of the month at noon in the AIA Minnesota office.

2013 Search for Shelter
Friday, February 8 to Sunday, February 10, 2013 University of Minnesota Minneapolis Campus
The Search for Shelter Design Charrette celebrated its 27th year helping local and regional affordable housing organizations envision beautiful, innovative design solutions to projects that previously existed only in written form. This program has allowed organizations to have a powerful visual tool to present to key players in order to get the project up and running, such as the community and funders.

Watch for the 2014 Charrette dates. We will need projects from organizations such as yours. Past projects have included a redesigned building entry, a new lobby, and revitalization ideas for empty lots. The resulting designs have enhanced the already amazing work local organizations are doing in the housing industry.

Sample applications - for 2014 affordable housing organizations looking to submit a project application:
Click here for the 2013 online application -
Click here to download the 2013 application letter & form to submit via email, mail, or fax.

Questions? Contact Mary Larkin.

Do Learning Events

Hawthorne Community Build Day
Committee members enjoyed volunteering on Saturday, May 11 to help the Hawthorne Neighborhood Council, Urban Homeworks, University of Minnesota's College of Design, Accenture, HandOn Twin Cities, and many members of the community, to build and develop designs for the Kwanzaa Community garden and storage/work shed at 21st Avenue and Dupont Street.

Higher Ground Tour
Two AIA Minnesota committees - the Housing Advocacy Committee and the Committee on Design - were instrumental in working the McKnight Foundation to create the annual AIA Minnesota/McKnight Foundation Affordable Housing Design Award. Cermak Rhoades Architects, representing the Higher Ground – Homeless Shelter & Permanent Housing Project, located at 165 Glenwood Avenue N. in Minneapolis, was selected as the 2012 AIA Minnesota/McKnight Foundation Affordable Housing Design Award Recipient. The Higher Ground affordable housing project was selected from 20 award submissions made by 13 Minnesota architectural firms. Click here for more information on the award.

Project for Pride in Living
On April 21, Housing Advocacy Committee members volunteered to help at Project Pride for Living's (PPL) Selbystone/Delancy Apartments. These apartments combine supportive housing with affordable family housing in three adjacent buildings. The three buildings were recently rehabbed, and they wished to keep them looking great! There are 37 affordable apartments in all and they focused on landscaping and exterior projects at these buildings. Well done HAC members!