Melodie Bridgeman – Inside the Carver County CDA: Down Payment Assistance, Land Trusts & the Wild Chaska Yards Story

About this episode

Melodie Bridgeman discusses various programs offered by the Carver County Community Development Agency, including down payment assistance and Community Land Trusts, while sharing the story of Chaska Yards.

Melodie Bridgeman from the Carver County Community Development Agency pulls back the curtain on programs most residents don't know exist. We dig into the CDA's down payment assistance offering up to $50,000 in forgivable loans for first-time buyers, break down how Community Land Trusts let families purchase $400,000 homes at $250,000 price points, and Melodie tells the full story behind Chaska Yards—a decade-long project involving a yellow brick house moved at half a mile per hour, an accidental fire caused by a gecko heat lamp, and archaeologists excavating 1,900 artifacts from a historic outhouse pit. We also cover Section 8 and rental assistance (and clear up some misconceptions), resources for homeowners facing financial hardship, and Next Stage—the free entrepreneurial support program that helped 50 Carver County businesses secure nearly $3 million in financing last year. Whether you're a first-time buyer wondering how to afford Carver County, a landlord curious about voucher programs, or someone with a business idea you've been sitting on, this episode has something for you. CarverCDA.org | NextStageMN.org

People in this episode

Guest: Melodie Bridgeman

Topics covered

• down payment assistance
• Community Land Trusts
• Chaska Yards
• Section 8
• rental assistance
• entrepreneurial support

Keywords

• first-time buyers
• financial hardship
• Carver County businesses
• Next Stage

Mentioned in this episode

Products: down payment assistance, Community Land Trusts, Next Stage

Places: Carver County, Chaska Yards

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