HousingLink
HousingLink is a Minnesota 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating a free statewide web clearinghouse for affordable rental housing, serving renters with barriers, landlords, and policymakers with subsidized housing databases, rental market data, and the Beyond Backgrounds financial assurance program.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1997
- HeadquartersMinneapolis, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What HousingLink does
HousingLink is a Minnesota-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1997 to serve as the statewide affordable housing information clearinghouse mandated by the 1995 Hollman v Cisneros Consent Decree. It operates housinglink.org, a free self-serve web platform where Minnesota renters search for affordable rental vacancies, subsidized housing waiting lists, and barrier-overcoming programs, while landlords and property managers list properties at no cost. The organization targets three primary customer segments: renters with housing barriers (criminal, credit, eviction, or voucher-holding), landlords and property managers seeking qualified tenants, and human service agencies / policymakers requiring housing data. Its core products include the Streams database (4,196 properties, 169,894 units across all 87 Minnesota counties), the Twin Cities Rental Revue quarterly subscription report ($469/year), the Beyond Backgrounds Financial Assurance product ($300 per purchase providing $2,000 landlord coverage), multiple city/county Rental Housing Briefs, and an interactive Twin Cities Rental Housing Trends dashboard.
The underlying technology is a web platform combining proprietary databases of contractually-obligated affordable housing stock with observed private-market rental listings, augmented by an AI-assisted chatbot on the Streams database and a Rent Predictor model co-developed with the University of Minnesota's Carlson Analytics Lab. Distribution is digital-first via the website, bi-weekly and monthly email newsletters (Housing Connection, Landlord Link, HAWL alerts totaling over 13,000 subscribers), YouTube content, and webinars delivered to regional housing forums. HousingLink monetizes through a hybrid model: earned income (data subscriptions and Beyond Backgrounds transaction fees), government contracts for housing information services, and philanthropic grants from foundations such as McKnight, Otto Bremer, and Family Housing Fund, plus government funding from Hennepin County, Minnesota Housing, and the Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Notable partnerships include the Metropolitan Council, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, Suburban Metro Area Continuum of Care, Dakota County, Ramsey County, and the Minnesota Department of Veteran Affairs, supporting programs for renters with criminal, credit, and rental history barriers.
HousingLink firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- HousingLink
- Legal name
- HousingLink
- Website
- https://housinglink.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1997
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- HousingLink is a Minnesota 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating a free statewide web clearinghouse for affordable rental housing, serving renters with barriers, landlords, and policymakers with subsidized housing databases, rental market data, and the Beyond Backgrounds financial assurance program.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
HousingLink industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Affordable Housing Information Services
- NAICS
- Other Community Housing Services (624229)
- SIC
- Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531), Services-To Dwellings & Other Buildings (7340)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Off-Campus Housing Support & Landlord Relations (EDALACAJ)
Keywords
Where HousingLink is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Minneapolis
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
HousingLink business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Government Contracts: Contracts with government agencies for housing information services and data provision, including HUD-funded work and partnerships with housing authorities.
- Data Subscriptions: Subscription-based revenue from Twin Cities Rental Revue quarterly reports at $469/year, providing median rent data to researchers and industry professionals.
- Donations and Fundraising: Charitable contributions from foundations and individual donors supporting nonprofit operations. Major funders include McKnight Foundation, Otto Bremer Foundation, and others listed in annual reports.
- Beyond Backgrounds Financial Assurance: Renter-purchased financial assurance product at $300 per purchase, providing landlords access to $2,000 coverage for damages, unpaid rent, and legal fees beyond security deposit.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Twin Cities Rental Revue Annual Subscription |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Beyond Backgrounds Financial Assurance |
| Freemium | Monthly | Property Listings for Landlords |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels8 records
HousingLink product offering
Product offeringCore offering
HousingLink operates a free web-based platform where renters search for affordable rental housing vacancies and subsidized waiting list openings throughout Minnesota, while landlords list properties at no cost. The organization supplements the core platform with proprietary data products (Streams affordable housing database, Twin Cities Rental Revue quarterly rent report, rental housing briefs) and the Beyond Backgrounds Financial Assurance program ($300) that gives landlords up to $2,000 in coverage when renting to applicants with criminal, credit, or eviction history.
Product overview
HousingLink operates a unified web platform centered on its core free rental listing service, supplemented by data products and programs. The core HousingLink Website Platform enables renters to search affordable housing vacancies and landlords to list properties for free. The Beyond Backgrounds Financial Assurance module ($300 insurance) addresses barriers for applicants with criminal, credit, or eviction histories. Data products include Streams (affordable property database with AI assistant), Twin Cities Rental Revue (quarterly rent report), Twin Cities Rental Housing Trends (interactive dashboard), multiple Rental Housing Briefs (city/county-specific), MN Housing Measures (annual visualization), and Housing Counts (annual production/preservation report). Additional services include the Housing Authority Waiting List newsletter (HAWL), Waitlist Central (centralized waitlist management), Housing Connection newsletter, Landlord Education training, and a Fair Housing resource center. The platform primarily serves the Minnesota market, particularly the Twin Cities metro area.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Beyond Backgrounds: A program that provides support to landlords willing to rent to someone with criminal, credit, or rental history barriers. Offers up to $2,000 of financial assurance to cover damage, unpaid rent, and legal fees.
- Streams
- Twin Cities Rental Revue
- Housing Authority Waiting List (HAWL)
Products and services
- HousingLink Website Platform Free web platform enabling renters to search affordable rental housing vacancies and subsidized housing waiting list openings throughout Minnesota, and enabling landlords and property managers to list rental properties for free.
- Beyond Backgrounds Financial Assurance $300 insurance product providing landlords with up to $2,000 of coverage for damages, unpaid rent, and legal fees when renting to qualifying applicants with criminal, credit, or rental history barriers; open to renters statewide.
- Streams Searchable database of over 4,196 publicly-funded affordable rental properties in Minnesota with 169,894 total units, tracking properties with long-term affordability commitments including LIHTC, Project-Based Section 8, Public Housing, and other subsidy programs across all 87 Minnesota counties.
- Twin Cities Rental Revue Quarterly subscription report at $469/year providing median rents for multifamily, single family, duplex, condo, and townhome rentals across 66 sub-markets in the Twin Cities metro area, analyzing 10,000-15,000 unique rental vacancy listings monthly.
- Twin Cities Rental Housing Trends Interactive, rolling 12-month visualization displaying key rental market trends for the seven-county Twin Cities Metro Area including median rents, building type composition, tax credit vs. market rate comparisons, affordability by income level, NOAH vacancies, and Section 8 voucher acceptance rates.
- Housing Authority Waiting List Alerts (HAWL) Newsletter service notifying over 8,000 subscribers when major subsidized housing waitlists open for programs such as Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers in the Twin Cities area.
- Waitlist Central (Housing Hub) Centralized waitlist management platform enabling applicants to join waitlists from any device, update contact information in one place, and allowing properties to fill vacancies faster with reduced administrative burden.
- Rental Housing Briefs (Minneapolis, St Paul, Hennepin County) Monthly and quarterly reports analyzing the state of rental housing in Minneapolis, St Paul, and Hennepin County, covering median rents, building types, tax credit vs. market rate comparisons, Housing Choice Voucher acceptance, subsidized waiting lists, and rental license data.
- MN Housing Measures Annually-updated interactive visualization tracking three key affordable housing metrics: private market affordability (60% and 30% AMI), subsidized housing stock (contractually-obligated units and vouchers), and funding sources (federal, state, and philanthropic).
- Housing Counts Annual report and interactive visualization accounting for affordable housing production and preservation in Minneapolis, Saint Paul, and suburban communities, tracking new construction vs. preservation by AMI bands.
- Landlord Education Online training recordings and webinars for rental property owners and managers covering landlord/tenant law, fair housing, background screening, rental property inspections, and Minneapolis renter protections.
Quantifiable outcome
- 47% of Minnesota renter households pay more than 30% of income on housing
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use HousingLink
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
HousingLink technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
HousingLink partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and notable.
- Metropolitan CouncilcorePartnership utilizing Metropolitan Council's Housing Production Survey data for Housing Counts report. Partnership reduced reporting burden on local government partners and increased data input scope.
- The McKnight FoundationcoreLong-standing partnership for MN Housing Measures visualization, evolved from 2007-2018 baseline measures effort. McKnight Foundation provides funding and strategic guidance for affordable housing data initiatives.
- Family Housing FundcoreAnnual joint publication of Housing Counts report since 2002, providing systematic accounting of affordable housing production and preservation in Twin Cities seven-county metro area. Collaborative data partnership tracking municipal and regional affordable housing goals.
- Federal Reserve Bank of MinneapolismajorContributes data to Regional Housing Dashboard and collaborative research efforts. Staff member Libby Starling serves as Senior Community Development Advisor at Federal Reserve.
- Minnesota Housing Finance AgencymajorState housing finance agency partner; staff member Summer Jefferson serves as Housing Tax Credit Supervisor. Agency provides data and funding for housing initiatives.
- Suburban Metro Area Continuum of Care (SMAC)corePartnership supporting Beyond Backgrounds program that has housed 50+ people with criminal, credit, and rental history barriers. Collaborative effort for housing stability services.
- Dakota CountycoreCounty partner for Beyond Backgrounds program implementation. Through partnership, Beyond Backgrounds has supported landlords renting to people with housing barriers in Dakota County.
- Ramsey County Outside in CollaborativecorePartnership with Ramsey County for Beyond Backgrounds program serving families on shelter waitlists. New partnership announced in 2019 for housing support services.
- Minnesota Department of Veteran Affairs (MDVA)corePartnership to end veteran homelessness by providing Beyond Backgrounds access to Veterans on the homeless registry, helping them find housing.
- Hennepin CountymajorCounty government partner listed in 2022 supporters; contributes to housing data and research initiatives; provides services for homelessness resources on Waypoint platform.
- Carlson Analytics Lab (University of Minnesota)notableCreated Rent Predictor tool using historical rent values and socioeconomic data to predict future area rents for Twin Cities Metro, on behalf of McKnight Foundation and HousingLink.
- City of MinneapolismajorCity government partner listed in 2022 strategic partnerships; collaborated on affordable housing projects and initiatives.
- City of St. PaulmajorCity government partner listed in 2022 strategic partnerships for housing initiatives and data collaboration.
Scale indicators11 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
HousingLink competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks2 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
HousingLink social profiles
Digital presenceHousingLink financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
HousingLink leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
HousingLink funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
HousingLink M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about HousingLink
What does HousingLink do?
HousingLink operates a free web-based platform where renters search for affordable rental housing vacancies and subsidized waiting list openings throughout Minnesota, while landlords list properties at no cost. The organization supplements the core platform with proprietary data products (Streams affordable housing database, Twin Cities Rental Revue quarterly rent report, rental housing briefs) and the Beyond Backgrounds Financial Assurance program ($300) that gives landlords up to $2,000 in coverage when renting to applicants with criminal, credit, or eviction history.
Is HousingLink a public or private company?
HousingLink is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was HousingLink founded?
HousingLink was founded in 1997. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is HousingLink based?
HousingLink is headquartered in Minneapolis, United States, in the North America region.
How does HousingLink make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Government Contracts are the primary driver. The others are data Subscriptions, donations and Fundraising and beyond Backgrounds Financial Assurance.
Does HousingLink have an API?
No public API is recorded for HousingLink.
What industry is HousingLink in?
HousingLink's product category is Affordable Housing Information Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDALACAJ, Off-Campus Housing Support & Landlord Relations. Its NAICS code is 624229 and its SIC code is 6531.