PARK RIVER – Finding suitable housing in North Dakota’s rural communities is not an easy task. In many areas, it has been a generation since new homes or apartments were built. In that time, both the economy and the needs of the people have changed.
Tools designed to help rural leaders address shortfalls will be showcased at a Regional Housing Roundtable on Thursday, June 5, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Park River City Hall, 504 Briggs Ave. S., Park River, ND.
“Many of our rural communities lack housing that will accommodate an aging population, and do not have appropriate workforce housing. At the Roundtable, community leaders will have an opportunity to learn about technical assistance and financial resources that address these challenges,” said Jolene Kline, North Dakota Housing Finance Agency’s (NDHFA) planning and housing development director.
Roundtable attendees will learn what a demand analysis is and how it can be used to expand housing opportunities. They will be introduced to a Statewide Technical Assistance Team (STAT) and discover what resources these housing professionals can provide. Attendees will also learn about regional housing plans and activities.
“STAT was established to aid communities in devising a housing strategy, and offers the support and resources needed to help them meet their housing goals,” said Kline, who heads the group.
Assistance from STAT is targeted to communities of less than 20,000 population. A collaboration of both public and non-profit agencies, the partners help community leaders define housing needs, develop necessary projects and see the projects through to completion.
The Red River Regional Council is sponsoring the roundtable. City and county commissioners; legislators; housing, economic and job development authority members; local lenders; and rural electric cooperative representatives are encouraged to attend.
There is no registration fee; however pre-registration is requested by June 2nd. Contact Janet Dvorak at (701) 352-3550 or jedvorak (at) nd (dot) gov to be included in the count for materials, lunch and refreshments.
In addition to the NDHFA, other STAT representatives including Affordable Housing Developers, Inc.; CommunityWorks North Dakota; Eastern Dakota Housing Alliance; Lutheran Social Services; North Dakota Department of Commerce; North Dakota Public Finance Authority; North Dakota Rural Development Council and the Center for Technology and Business; USDA Rural Development; and US Dept. of Housing and Urban Development have been invited to participate.
For more information about housing resources available to communities, contact Jolene Kline at (701) 328-8080, (800) 292-8621, (800) 366-6888 (TTY) or info (at) ndhfa (dot) org.
