Recent News

In March 2025, Three Rivers brought the Rice County Mobile Home Rehabilitation Initiative under its umbrella.

This program offers Rice County mobile home residents financial and coordination support to make repairs that improve their home’s safety and energy efficiency. The initiative came together through the work of various community partners and NREEC members including Growing Up Healthy, Three Rivers Community Action, the City of Faribault, the City of Northfield, Rice County Housing, Neighbors United, Rice County Habitat for Humanity, Hosanna Church, the Community Action Center, Northfield Public Schools and HCI. Read more.

History of Our Housing Work

In 2021, leaders in the Northfield area began reviewing local affordable housing data and taking collaborative action to improve housing options for children and youth from low-income households.

Find more information about the City of Northfield’s 2021 housing study.

Housing and education are important foundations for future success that underpin many aspects of mobility from poverty. Although both the housing and education sectors are on the front lines of addressing these challenges, much of this work has been done in silos. Thanks to Northfield Promise’s close connection with StriveTogether, our community had the opportunity to work with Enterprise Community Partners (ECP), a national housing nonprofit with 40 years of experience in addressing America’s shortage of affordable rentals and homes.

This bundle of interconnected attributes is known by EPC as the “housing bundle.” When aligned, these five attributes create a pathway to economic mobility through housing.

Northfield Promise’s work with EPC began in 2021 and resulted in this initial report:

Housing + Education in Northfield Alojamiento + Educación en Northfield

Additional Reports Guiding This Work

NREEC Housing Solutions Action Plan
This report outlines a series of solutions that address housing-related challenges in Northfield. The report compiles the work of a diverse group of stakeholders known as the Northfield Housing Solutions Teams, who met between November 2023 and February 2024 to identify and design key solutions in partnership with Enterprise Community Partners.

Northfield Housing Analysis
This housing needs assessment was prepared by Maxfield Research & Consulting for the City of Northfield in July 2024.

Rice County Comprehensive Housing Study
This study was conducted by Widseth and updated in June 2024 for Rice County.

Our Continuing Work

The work to better collaborate across the local housing and education sectors continues, with the goal of supporting a community-wide affordable housing strategy that improves access to safe, energy-efficient housing for children and youth from low-income households.

Back to NREEC