Affordable Housing Forum | Video

Sarahbeth Ackerman | 8/14/2012

On Tuesday, the community had an opportunity to hear the perspectives on the challenges and common questions that are linked with housing projects. Minot State University hosted the Souris Basin Affordable Housing Forum.

Throughout the conference speakers set up a few fictional household budgets to bring some real-life examples on why affordable housing is important. Sixty-one percent of North Dakotan families are considered either low or very low income, so the need for affordable housing is severe.

"Seventy-five percent of the people that we have in our properties have some type of job in this community. Working. Working families. People don`t realize that. That`s what we`re doing here. There`s another 15 percent are probably elderly and disabled that are gonna be in our projects. They need some place they can afford to live in and stay in our community," said Tom Pearson of the Minot Housing Authority.

Affordable housing is defined as no more than 30 percent of a family`s gross income.

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