This two-year framework embeds a Creative Strategies Coordinator (staff position) and a Creative-in-Residence (CiR) (contractor position) within the Southwest Minnesota Housing Partnership to explore how arts and cultural strategies can advance housing equity, sustainability, and community engagement. Through storytelling, creative placemaking, and collaborative design, the practitioners work alongside SWMHP staff and residents to elevate local voices, translate complex housing issues into accessible formats, and pilot innovative approaches to community-centered housing solutions.

The Sustainable Housing Creative-in-Residence pilot uses arts and cultural strategies to enhance community engagement, identify local assets, connect with residents, and build housing solutions that elevate the voices, traditions, heritage, and vision of the community. These efforts support SWMHP in advancing their mission to partner with communities to develop places for people to call home.

This two-year framework is designed to embed two pivotal roles within SWMHP—a Creative Strategies Coordinator (staff position) and a Creative-in-Residence (CiR, contractor position)—to integrate arts and cultural strategies into housing initiatives across a 30-county service area. 

This pilot artist residency integrates creative strategies into the mission-aligned work of SWMHP based on a series of workshops, along with deep discussions and design work.