Overview: Clare Housing’s Historic Renovation
Clare Housing celebrated nearly 40 years of supportive housing for Minnesotans living with HIV on July 30, unveiling a $7 million renovation of Clare Northeast Apartments in northeast Minneapolis. Alaysia Lane reports that the project modernized all 32 apartments and updated common spaces. Executive Director Phoebe Trepp says roughly 70% of Minnesotans living with HIV will be older than 50 by 2030, and the nonprofit is seeking funding for housing built for older adults. About 9,600 Minnesotans are living with HIV, and Black and Hispanic Minnesotans continue to see disproportionately higher rates of new diagnoses.
Credit: courtesy of Alaysia Lane/MSR
For Kendall, finding a home at Clare Housing meant more than securing an apartment. After experiencing homelessness and couch surfing, it meant finally closing the door to a place of his own.
“When I was able to lock the door, I was just like, ‘I’m going to hold on to this,'” said Kendall, a Clare Housing resident and member of the organization’s Resident Advisory Council. “I’m not going to let anything jeopardize it.”
Kendall’s story was one of many shared July 30 as Clare Housing celebrated nearly 40 years of providing supportive housing for Minnesotans living with HIV and unveiled a $7 million renovation of Clare Northeast Apartments, the nonprofit’s flagship building in northeast Minneapolis.
Credit: ourtesy of Alaysia Lane/MSR
The renovation modernized all 32 apartments and updated common spaces while preserving one of the state’s longest-standing supportive housing communities for people living with HIV. The celebration included a resident-led town hall, a ribbon-cutting ceremony and tours of the renovated building.
Housing as Prevention
Founded during the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s, Clare Housing has evolved alongside advances in HIV treatment. What began as volunteer-run care homes for people with AIDS has grown into a nonprofit that serves about 500 residents annually through four supportive housing properties, adult foster care homes, scattered-site housing and housing assistance programs.
Executive Director Phoebe Trepp said the organization’s mission has remained consistent even as the needs of residents have changed.
“Housing is health care,” Trepp said.
She noted that many residents arrive after experiencing homelessness while also managing chronic health conditions, mental health challenges, disabilities or substance use disorders. Stable housing, she said, creates the foundation for people to access medical care and remain healthy.
Clare Housing reports that approximately 89% of its residents maintain viral suppression, meaning the virus is reduced to undetectable levels through treatment, while more than 90% remain connected to medical care.
Addressing Inequities and an Aging Community
The organization is also preparing for a changing HIV population. Trepp said an increasing share of people living with HIV are aging, with projections indicating that roughly 70% of Minnesotans living with HIV will be older than 50 by 2030. Clare Housing is seeking funding for a new supportive housing development designed specifically for older adults living with HIV.
According to the Minnesota Department of Health, about 9,600 Minnesotans are currently living with HIV, while new HIV diagnoses declined in 2025 compared with previous years.
Black and Hispanic Minnesotans continue to experience disproportionately higher rates of new HIV diagnoses than their share of the state’s population, illustrating ongoing inequities in access to health care and prevention services.
“Who else would know better than a resident?”
However, for residents like Kendall, the conversation extends beyond statistics.
He said Clare Housing gave him stability at a time when he needed it most. After graduating from college, he found himself couch surfing before learning about the organization through a friend. He eventually secured an apartment after returning to Minnesota from New York the same day he signed his lease.
“They make you feel wanted, and they make you feel needed, and they make you feel important,” he said. “I feel like, as a human being, we should have that experience.”
As a member of the Resident Advisory Council, Kendall now helps shape programming and provides feedback to Clare Housing leadership. He said residents’ voices should remain central to decisions affecting the community.
“Who else would know better than a resident?” he said.
He also hopes elected officials and community leaders leave with a better understanding of the barriers many people living with HIV continue to face.
“I think resources are there,” he said. “A lot of people don’t know they’re there until they’re in crisis.”
The renovation was funded through a partnership that included Minnesota Housing, Hennepin County, the city of Minneapolis, Cinnaire, Greater Minnesota Housing Fund, the Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines and the Hugh J. Andersen Foundation.
Looking ahead, Trepp said Clare Housing remains focused on expanding housing opportunities while preserving existing properties and responding to emerging needs, particularly among older adults, people experiencing homelessness and residents in Greater Minnesota.
The renovated building represents more than updated apartments for Kendall. It symbolizes dignity, stability and the opportunity to build a future.
“Home, to me, means comfort,” he said. “It means appreciation and gratitude.”
For more information on Clare Housing, visit www.clarehousing.org/.
Alaysia Lane is a contributing writer for the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder. She welcomes reader responses at aal7008@nyu.edu.