SAINT PAUL, Minn. – In Thursday’s Senate Housing and Homelessness Prevention Committee, Senator Liz Boldon (DFL-Rochester) presented two bills to help tackle the affordable housing crisis facing communities throughout Minnesota, by investing in workforce housing development grants and local housing trust funds.
“Communities throughout Minnesota are facing a severe shortage in the availability of affordable housing, and far too many Minnesotans are struggling to find the housing they need,” said Sen. Boldon, who serves as Vice-Chair of the committee. “With a historic budget surplus, the state must step up in a big way with a meaningful investment in the programs that expand our housing stock and help Minnesotans get the housing they need and deserve.”
Sen. Boldon presented two bills in committee on Thursday. The first, SF 989, invests $40 million in one-time money to the Workforce Housing Development program, which provides rural communities with resources to build new rental housing. The second bill, SF 609, provides $10 million of funding to the Minnesota Housing Finance Authority for local housing trust funds. These trust funds provide flexibility for local communities in approaching affordable housing projects.
“The best way we can help Rochester and other communities throughout the state is by putting resources and decision making into the hands of local leaders who know what works best for their communities,” said Sen. Boldon. “This legislation does both, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to get this work done in 2023.”
Both bills were laid over for possible inclusion in a future omnibus housing finance bill.
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