Pilot program aims to spur workforce housing in rural North Dakota
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(Photo illustration by Getty Images)
The North Dakota Industrial Commission last week approved a pilot program to support the development of rural workforce housing.
The program is limited to North Dakota communities with 20,000 residents or fewer, according to an announcement from the commission.
It will be supported by up to $10 million from the Bank of North Dakota. The money will go toward financing new family housing, or to rehabilitate existing residences when it is more cost-effective than new construction.
The goal is to make housing less expensive to build in growing rural communities so it’s ultimately less expensive to rent to workers, according to the announcement.
To be eligible for the program, a North Dakota community must be experiencing workforce-related population growth. A community can be eligible if it has a new company that recently moved to town or an existing company that has recently expanded by more than 10 employees, according to the announcement.
The program requires the community’s local government and the expanding company to support the project.
Projects chosen for the program can receive financing of up to 20% of the project costs, up to $3.5 million, or a match that equals the contribution from a private company — whichever is less.
The new program will “enable rural communities experiencing a rapid period of growth to partner with the company and the state to address employee housing needs,” the commission said in a Wednesday statement.
The Industrial Commission comprises Gov. Doug Burgum, Attorney General Drew Wrigley and Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring.
The pilot program follows the creation of the Housing Initiative Advisory Committee by Burgum. The committee, dedicated to finding solutions to housing issues across the state, has been directed to put together policy recommendations for the 2025 Legislature.
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