About Us



Our Mission Statement:

The Minnesota Home Ownership Center promotes sustainable home ownership for low and moderate income Minnesotans through the development and delivery of quality, standardized education, counseling and related support services.

About Us:

Founded in 1993, the Minnesota Home Ownership Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit intermediary organization dedicated to enabling Minnesotans with low and moderate incomes to purchase and maintain homes. Founding organizations include the Family Housing Fund, real estate and mortgage finance institutions, government agencies and others concerned with affordable and sustainable homeownership.

The Center focuses on helping a network of community-based organizations to develop consistent, high quality education, loan counseling and support for potential and existing homebuyers in Minnesota. The community-based programs' role is to deliver services to individual families.  The Minnesota Home Ownership Center's is to provide these organizations with training, technical and financial support, to ensure that home owner support services are available throughout the state.

While our services are open to anyone, the Center's network puts a particular emphasis on serving people who often encounter major barriers in the process. These include but are not limited to people with developmental disabilities, people of color, refugees, immigrants, female-headed households and people with poor credit histories.

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Our Board Of Directors:

President: Michael Haley, Minnesota Housing

Vice President: Vicki Shipley, US Bank

Treasurer: David Boyce, StoneBridge Bank     

Secretary: David Eide, Western National Mutual Insurance Co
  • Eduardo Barrera, Minnesota Housing
  • Stacey Bostwick, Representing the Home Ownership Center Advisory Council
  • Marilyn Bruin, University Of Minnesota Extension Service
  • Joe Collins, City of St. Paul, Planning & Economic Development
  • David Eide, Western National Mutual Insurance Company
  • Jim Erchul, Dayton's Bluff Neighborhood Housing Service
  • Karen Gajeski, Bremer Bank
  • Chris Galler, Minnesota Association of Realtors
  • Lance Larson, USDA Rural Development
  • David Lindstrom, M & I Bank
  • Robin Peterson, Coldwell Banker Burnet
  • Elfric Porte, City of Minneapolis, Community Planning & Economic Development
  • Ron Rankin, City of Minnetonka
  • Bill Sarvela, TFC National Bank Minnesota
  • Todd Sipe, Thrivant Financial Bank
  • Susan Strasser, Wells Fargo Bank
  • Stephanie Omersa Vergin, Greater Minnesota Housing Fund
  • Linda White, Fannie Mae Minnesota Office
  • Pam Zagaria, Family Housing Fund

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Our Advisory Council:

Chair: Stacey Bostwick, Powderhorn Residents Group      

Southeast Region:
  • Judy Plank, Community Housing Partnership
  • Bob Matthews, Home Federal Savings Bank 
Southwest Region:
  • Lori Raiber, Heartland Community Action
  • Ali Joens, Southwest Minnesota Housing Partnership

Central Region: 
  • Hyacinth Stiffler, Bi-County Community Action
  • Hanna Folland, Central Minnesota Housing Partnership

West Central Region:
  • Cookie Nelson, Ottertail Wadena Community Action 


 Northwest Region:

  • Phil Wold, Tri-Valley Opportunity Council
  • Gayle Peterson, Northwest Community Action

Northeast Region:
  • Steve Nelson, St. Louis County Community Development
  • Kristen Monson, Neighborhood Housing Services of Duluth

Metro Region:
  • Roxanny Armendariz, Neighborhood Development Alliance
  • Susan Jackson, American Dream Services
  • Scott Zemke, Community Action Partnership of Suburban Hennepin

Minnesota Mortgage Foreclosure Prevention Association:
  • Michael Mohs, Edina Realty   

At Large Representatives:
  • Crystal Christian, Wells Fargo Home Mortgage
  • Nathan Marsten, Homestead Mortgage
  • Anita Olson, US Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD)
  • Dan Williams, Lutheran Social Services of Minnesota
  • Rachel Smith, Dakota County CDA


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