Commentary; Posted: 12/7/05
Hegberg supports affordable housing concept
Dennis Hegberg
Guest Columnist
As Washington County District 1 Commissioner, I fully support providing affordable housing to seniors, families and disabled households.
Washington Countyís population and employment base is growing, and it makes economic sense to provide a spectrum of housing choices to county citizens.
The number of seniors in the county increased 67 percent during the 1990s, the highest rate of growth in the metropolitan area.
I want to make sure that county seniors have an option to stay near their families and their support system.
The total number of employees working in the county increased by 4515 people from 2000 to 2004.
Providing rental and home ownership opportunities to working families supports business stability and growth.
Further, if new housing is located close to places of employment, long commutes are avoided.
I also believe that persons with disabilities need more housing options in the county so that they can remain in their respective communities.
The challenge to provide affordable, or as I call it, reasonably priced housing, has never been more difficult.
The average sale price for a single family home is about $295,000.
A price like that makes it difficult, if not impossible for many who play important roles in the economic well-being of Washington County to afford a home here.
Increasing land prices and construction costs are major reasons for escalating housing costs.
Teachers, police officers, assembly workers, retail clerks and young families saving to buy their first home are typical users of affordable rental housing.
Nearly all will pay the full rent without any rental assistance from government programs.
In fact, Washington County has one of the lowest allocations of the federally funded Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program, with only 90 vouchers for a population over 214,000.
Elderly and disabled households rely on this program to make ends meet, and the lack of funding for our county places more financial burden on these households.
One proposal also reserves some units for families with children who are working with HSI Inc., trying to start over after being hit by traumas associated with chemical dependency issues.
These families have a critical need for safe affordable housing to help them achieve stability and be successful in rebuilding their lives.
The demand for reasonably priced housing is great. More than 4000 units of affordable senior and family housing will be needed in the near future. Private-public partnerships are necessary to fill the need for reasonably priced housing.
Affordable housing plays a vital part in the future economy of the county, and its communities.
I ask that you help me forge the partnerships that are needed to provide housing in Washington County.
Dennis Hegberg lives in Forest Lake and serves District One on the Washington County Board of Commissioners.
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