In the deceptively titled Marshall Independent article, No bonding bill spells trouble for rural housing, Per Peterson reports:
Rick Goodeman, the executive director of the Southwest Minnesota Housing Partnership, appreciates the support he's received from local representatives in St. Paul when it comes to affordable housing. . . .
Goodeman said lawmakers this year passed up an opportunity to fulfill their promise of addressing the shortage of affordable, workforce housing during the legislative session.
"Rural legislators get the preservation issue, and they get the workforce housing issue, but it's not being converted into meaningful action," Goodeman said. "I don't know if there is some kind of disconnect? When I talk to our legislators, regardless of if they're DFL or Republican, they are very supportive of affordable housing, so I don't know what's happening between rural legislators and leadership of the Republican Party. Is it a rural-urban thing?". . .
Gov. Mark Dayton and the Senate included $90 million for housing in their bonding proposals. The House has a $45 million request for housing.
Goodeman said part of the reason there is such a need for bonding for housing is the sheer need across the state to address the situation.
"What is happening is there's so much demand, so many applications, that few will be funded; they have to cover both metro and Greater Minnesota," Goodeman said. "We've got requests coming out of our ears. We can't address them all."
Goodeman said without immediate action and significant investments aimed at preserving the state's housing portfolio, Greater Minnesota communities could lose much of their affordable rental housing stock.
The bonding bill failed to pass after Majority Leader Joyce Peppin moved to adjourn with time still left on the clock. While there may be a special session, we have to wonder why Republican House leaders are so bent on nickel-and-diming rural housing needs.
Photo: An abandoned farmhouse.
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