Owning a home has long been viewed as an economic stepping stone in America, a source of pride that can build generational wealth for families and stability for neighborhoods and cities. It’s a prize, though, that Minnesota’s new immigrants sometimes find out of reach. While many have the income to buy a home, they face significant challenges, including rising home prices, an extremely tight real estate market and, in some places, prejudices that make them feel unwelcome. Muslims face another unique barrier: a rule in Islam that prohibits profiting from lending or receiving money. So getting a conventional mortgage that charges interest isn’t permitted. With St. Cloud’s East African population rising rapidly, finding answers is important to the city’s future. As many as 70 percent of the region’s Somali community lives below the federal poverty line, according to a recent Wilder Foundation report. Home ownership can be a poverty fighter. [Read more from MPR News reporter Kristi Marohn]
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