Affordable Rental Housing
Are you looking for a decent, safe and affordable house, townhome or apartment to rent? The Brainerd HRA owns and/or manages many different types of affordable rental housing in the City of Brainerd. Depending on your household size and needs, we have one bedroom apartments, two bedroom apartment units, two and three bedroom duplex units, and units that are accessible for persons with disabilities.
General Information
The Brainerd HRA owns or manages affordable rental housing in nearly every neighborhood in the City of Brainerd. We have one-bedroom, two-bedroom, three bedroom, and four bedroom units, located in single family dwellings, duplexes, townhomes, and apartment buildings. The Brainerd HRA has three full time maintenance staff, who are available or on-call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Brainerd HRA rental units are held to very high inspection standards by the federal and state government.
Developments
The Brainerd HRA owns and manages three Public Housing rental developments in the City of Brainerd: The North Star Apartments, Scattered Site (duplexes and single family houses), and Valley Trail (duplexes on a cul-de-sac). The Brainerd HRA also manages the Brainerd South Apartments for a private, non-profit ownership group. The Brainerd South Apartments are not Public Housing, but an affordable apartment complex financed in part with HUD and Minnesota Housing loans, as well as private funding.
North Star Apartments (below): The North Star Apartments are a twelve story high rise development in Downtown Brainerd on the banks of the Mississippi River, with 158 one-bedroom apartments, with an on-site caretaker. There is a large, on-site laundry room, an assisted living provider officed on-site, and available 24 hours a day, a hot meal service provider and dining facility, off-street parking, and a recreation area with a pool table and big-screen TV. Each floor has an open air balcony or patio, and a furnished lounge. Rent is based on 30% of the tenant's monthly income, and utilities are included. In March 2010, the first and second floor lobby areas and common space of the North Star Apartments completed a significant renovation, which was started in late 2009. There are now fully accessible public restrooms, new carpeting, ceramic tile, and furniture, and several other improvements that will benefit the residents.
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Valley Trail: A development of two, three, and four bedroom rental duplexes located in a neighborhood near Central Lakes College, with a caretaker living in the development. Each duplex unit has an attached garage, laundry hookups, 24 hour, on-call maintenance, and a front and back yard. Rent is based on 30% of the tenant's monthly income, and water is included.
Image provide by Widseth Smith Nolting, project architect
Scattered Site: Brainerd HRA Scattered Site Public Housing are 16 units of three bedroom rental duplexes and single family houses located throughout the City of Brainerd. Each unit has an attached garage, 24 hour, on-call maintenance, laundry hookups, and a front and back yard. Rent is based on 30% of the tenant's monthly income, and water is included.
Brainerd South Apartments: An apartment complex of 60 large one and two bedroom units located at 1969 and 1987 S. 7th Street in Brainerd, near the Bethany Good Samaritan care facility and Brainerd Medical Center in South Brainerd. There is off street parking, with laundry rooms inside each building. Rent is between $364 per month and $459 per month, depending on the type and size of unit.
Rent
In some HRA developments, tenants pay rent based on a percentage of their monthly income, and in some developments the rent is based on a flat, below market rate. For example, in the three Public Housing developments managed by the Brainerd HRA, the monthly rent charged is based on 30% of a tenant's monthly income. At the Brainerd South Apartments, rents charged for one and two bedroom apartments are in a range between $364 per month and $459 per month, depending on the type and size of unit.
Income guidelines
Household size
| Household size | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| Annual income | $32,950 | $37,700 | $42,400 | $47,100 | $50,850 | $54,650 | $58,400 | $62,150 |
The income guidelines listed in the table above are the maximum annual income a household can have to qualify for a Brainerd HRA managed rental development.
Waiting list
There is a first-come, first-served waiting list for Brainerd HRA managed rental units. We have one application and one waiting list for all of our rental housing programs and rental housing developments. To be placed on the list, you need to fill out an application and submit it to the Brainerd HRA. The Brainerd HRA will determine the bedroom size that your family is eligible for, and notify you when an eligible unit is available. Some units have very short waiting lists (only a month or two) and some units have a longer waiting list, that may take several months.
Resident selection criteria
The link below lists some of the criteria used by the Brainerd HRA to determine if a household is eligible to rent one of the rental properties managed by the Brainerd HRA. This information is verified when a household's name comes up on a waiting list.
How to apply
The Brainerd HRA uses one application for all of our rental housing and other programs. In order to apply, you can call our office to have an application mailed, faxed or e-mailed to you, or you can come to the Brainerd HRA office at 324 East River Road in Brainerd, Monday through Thursday, from 7:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. to pick one up or fill one out and turn it in at our office. We have a drop box outside of our office front door in which you can drop off any documents to us at any time. A PDF copy of the application is immediately below. Please feel free to download and print the application, as it only takes a few minutes to complete.
If you have any questions about the affordable housing managed by the Brainerd HRA, or the status of your application, please contact the Brainerd HRA staff listed below: