The Housing Commissioner: Who They Are, What They Do, and Why It Matters in Minnesota
Housing affordability, homelessness, and safe living conditions are issues that affect communities across the country—but they’re also deeply local problems. At the state level, the person most responsible for shaping how these issues are tackled is the housing commissioner.
In this article, we’ll explore what a housing commissioner does, why their role matters, and examine the track record of Minnesota’s current housing commissioner, Jennifer Leimaile Ho. While she’s widely respected for her expertise and national experience, her tenure hasn’t been without controversy—and recent program failures have raised serious questions about the system’s ability to meet the moment.
What Does a Housing Commissioner Actually Do?
The housing commissioner is typically the head of a state’s housing finance agency—in Minnesota, that’s Minnesota Housing. It’s a leadership role with a big scope and even bigger consequences. Here's what it involves:
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Setting Housing Policy: The commissioner helps determine how the state approaches affordable housing, homelessness prevention, rental protections, and housing equity.
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Overseeing Public Funds: Housing programs are often funded with hundreds of millions in public money—sometimes more during emergencies like the pandemic. The commissioner decides how these dollars get spent and who they’re meant to help.
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Running Programs: Rental assistance, first-time homebuyer aid, development grants, and homelessness outreach programs often fall under their purview.
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Collaborating Across Sectors: This role requires coordination with city governments, nonprofits, developers, tenant advocacy groups, and state legislators.
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Equity and Inclusion: Housing commissioners are increasingly expected to focus on racial and geographic disparities in housing access.
This is not just a desk job—it’s one that affects whether people have safe places to live, whether housing is affordable, and how the state responds to housing emergencies.
Meet Jennifer Leimaile Ho: Minnesota’s Housing Commissioner
Jennifer Leimaile Ho has led Minnesota Housing since being appointed by Governor Tim Walz in 2019. She was reappointed in 2023.
Her resume is impressive:
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She served in the Obama administration as Senior Advisor for Housing and Services at HUD.
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She helped lead the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness.
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In Minnesota, she previously headed Hearth Connection, working on long-term homelessness solutions.
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She's been involved in national campaigns to end veteran homelessness.
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She holds a philosophy degree from Bryn Mawr College.
In short, she came to the job with deep experience in homelessness prevention and federal housing policy. Under her leadership, the agency has made racial equity a stated priority, increased transparency in funding, and supported thousands of housing projects statewide. But experience alone hasn’t shielded her or the agency from criticism—and in recent years, some significant housing policy failures have unfolded on her watch.
Program Failures That Shook Confidence
1. The Abrupt Shutdown of RentHelpMN
In 2020, as the pandemic forced thousands into economic hardship, Minnesota launched RentHelpMN to distribute federal emergency rental assistance.
The program worked—until it didn’t. In January 2022, Minnesota Housing suddenly closed the application portal with just two days’ notice to renters.
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Why it closed: A surge in demand outpaced available funding. The agency had distributed around $375 million but didn’t have enough left to keep up with applications.
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The fallout: Thousands of renters were caught off guard and potentially left at risk of eviction. Lawmakers called the closure “abrupt and irresponsible.”
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Commissioner Ho's response: She defended the move, saying the decision was necessary to preserve funds for those already in line. Still, many felt the shutdown reflected poor planning and left the most vulnerable renters stranded.
This episode dented public trust and highlighted gaps in the state's ability to scale and communicate effectively during housing crises.
2. Housing Stabilization Services Spirals Out of Control
While technically run by the Minnesota Department of Human Services, the Housing Stabilization Services (HSS) program was closely tied to Minnesota’s overall housing strategy—and it became a major point of failure.
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The original idea: Help people with disabilities and mental health issues find and keep housing using Medicaid dollars.
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What went wrong:
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The program ballooned from a projected $2.5 million annual cost to over $100 million by 2024.
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Auditors found rampant fraud and abuse, with some providers billing for services never rendered.
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Some participants waited months for help—or got no help at all.
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The FBI and state watchdogs flagged the program as “extremely vulnerable.”
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While Ho’s agency didn’t directly administer HSS, its failure reflects how poorly coordinated housing-related services have become—even between state agencies tasked with serving the same people.
3. Unsafe Rentals and Lack of Inspections in Greater Minnesota
A lesser-known but equally important issue is the uneven enforcement of rental housing safety.
An investigation by APM Reports in 2025 found that more than 60% of Minnesota’s cities don’t require any rental inspections. In towns like Bemidji, renters described living in unsafe homes, sometimes being evicted on short notice, and having no one to report problems to.
While local governments oversee inspections, Minnesota Housing plays a crucial role in funding and incentivizing rental development and preservation. The failure to ensure basic safety standards—especially in rural and lower-income communities—adds another layer to the housing crisis.
Where Things Stand Now
Commissioner Ho remains in office and continues to advocate for affordable housing production, racial equity, and long-term homelessness solutions. She’s helped bring in federal resources, support new developments, and push the state to take housing more seriously.
But critics argue that the state’s housing system is reactive rather than proactive—and recent failures, like the RentHelpMN shutdown and housing services breakdown, show how vulnerable the infrastructure is when demand surges or mismanagement occurs.
What Needs to Change
Minnesota, like many states, faces a deep housing shortage. Estimates suggest the state needs over 100,000 new units to meet demand. But production alone won’t solve the problem. Here are key lessons for the next chapter in housing leadership:
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Plan ahead for emergencies: Don't let assistance programs run out of funds without warning the public.
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Tighten fraud oversight: Public money must be protected and directed toward those who truly need it.
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Ensure safety for renters: Create a statewide standard for rental inspections to prevent abuse and neglect.
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Improve coordination across agencies: Housing, health, and social services must work together—not in silos.
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Center equity in delivery—not just rhetoric: Ensure funding and services actually reach marginalized communities, especially in Greater Minnesota.
Final Thoughts
The housing commissioner isn’t a high-profile political figure, but their decisions impact thousands of lives every day. Jennifer Leimaile Ho has brought decades of experience and a strong values-based approach to Minnesota’s housing policy—but recent failures show that even the most seasoned leaders need better systems, better communication, and better accountability.
As the housing crisis continues, leadership will matter more than ever—not just to build new homes, but to build public trust.
To contact the Commissioner, reach out to Rachel Franco, Executive Assistant to the Commissioner, at rachel.franco@state.mn.us or 651.296.2172.
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