As the chief executive officer of Catholic Charities Twin Cities, Jamie Verbrugge helps oversee 1,000 small apartments tied to voluntary services aimed at helping previously-homeless residents stay housed, such as “wrap-around” counseling support for those with addiction and mental health issues. Verbrugge said 90% of his tenants stick around, or seek new apartments on their own, rather than backsliding into the streets.

Of those units, 120 residences are largely funded by grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which issued new conditions last week fundamentally altering access for permanent supportive housing dollars, if not cutting them in half.

The new requirements heavily cap what percentage of each federal housing grant can fund such services, which is poi

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