Model Cities Properties

Model cities properties also serves as a holding company for our sankofa and families first supportive housing developments, which provide 37 long-term, low-cost housing units at no more than 30% of family income. Sankofa serves pregnant and parenting youth and young adults ages 17-25. Families first serves single-parent families, mostly single mothers with a history of homelessness.

Model cities continues to work on a development project (652 sherburne), a vacant 8-unit building located in the frogtown neighborhood of st. Paul. Model cities, along with the frogtown neighborhood association (fna), hope community, historic st. Paul, and the housing justice center, came together as the sherburne collective to jointly redevelop the building into a six-unit community-ownership based project. Rondo community land trust will own the land in a trust ensuring that the building will remain in community ownership in perpetuity. This $2.9 million dollar project includes a complete renovation of the building, converting some of the units to much needed four-bedroom family units. Funding has been committed from both ramsey county and the city of st. Paul. Model cities serves as the developer and manages the construction project and will provide property management services until the units can be converted to ownership under a condo or coop model. The rondo community land trust owns the land. Fna will conduct community outreach and with hope community, help prepare eligible families for ownership. Rehab of the building began in spring 2024 and will continue through 2025, with occupancy anticipated in late fall 2025.