The Lake Superior Community Partnership held an excellent meeting of the minds this morning about housing in our communities.
A packed room of local government officials, builders, developers, community leaders, and citizens discussing housing! State Rep. Jenn Hill, her staff, and I also attended. I listened and learned. Data was presented and discussed.
It's great to see our community addressing important areas of concern.
 Affordable housing is increasingly difficult to attain for many Americans, with nearly half of the households paying more than 30% of their income and many spending over half for shelter.
Affordable housing is vital to our communities and economic well-being. If our workforce cannot afford to live in the communities that employ them, there are worker shortages, fewer jobs, and fewer resources for a community to sustain itself.
Why:
Housing costs rose two and a half times to eight times that of the inflation rate and our wages over the last 50 years.Â
Lack of supply. America has fallen short of 4-7 million houses.
The cost of construction is currently over $350 per square foot, and that is just for the building, not the land/lot.
Attitudes — Not In My Backyard (NIMBYism) and land-use regulations/zoning
Inadequate financial support: local, state, and federal.
If elected, I will work where my predecessor would not — with state and local leaders at a federal level to ensure all hard-working residents in my district can attain the basic human need of housing.
This is who we are — caring, committed neighbors and friends, employers and workers, and community leaders. Together, we will address this issue. Together.
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